Climate Change Crisis: Urgent Call for South Korea to Take Immediate Action

by Hajin Lee

September 1st, 2025.

Extensively parched land resulting from prolonged drought conditions intensified by climate change in Gangwon Province South Korea

I once read in a children’s book that some countries will be flooded years later. At the time, I remember being scared that my house would be flooded, refusing to go to sleep for days. After those few days, however, that distress faded into the back of my mind, and I returned to living my life.

Climate change has been a distant topic discussed in science classes and international events published in newspapers. However, I recently came to the realization that I am living amidst climate change firsthand. The term climate change is inclusive of the temperature both rising and dropping, but the phenomenon that I have been particularly experiencing is the rise in temperature.

South Korea is not the only country affected by climate change, but it is one of the countries whose change is the most rapid. Data from the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) shows that since the early 20th century, the average annual temperature in Korea has increased by approximately 1.8°C. This suggests that just as I have been experiencing firsthand, Korea is particularly susceptible to the rise in temperature due to climate change. The rising temperature does not just cause hotter weather. It leads to different precipitation patterns and causes extreme weather events.

An altered precipitation pattern is visibly apparent, especially in rainfall. People have been increasingly witnessing squalls, which are sudden, violent, localized storms commonly observed in tropical climates. Despite the fact that Korea is in a temperate climate zone, squalls frequently occur during the summer. This causes social and economic damage since it causes flooding, and Korea has not been exposed to this type of precipitation pattern.

Korea’s climate is changing into a more tropical climate disrupts the native biodiversity as well. Plants and agriculture native to Korea losing their habitat is an immense problem, but changes in animals and insects also cause health problems. Disease-carrying mosquitoes, predominantly found in tropical regions, such as malaria, have begun to be discovered more in Korea. This poses a serious public health risk to people living in Korea, because they have not been exposed to such illnesses.

Needless to say, the Korean government is aware of the status of climate change and has responded by introducing new policies to address the issue. The Green New Deal aims to reduce carbon gas emissions and reach a low-carbon society. In addition, it promotes green industries and renewable energy, which in turn encourages environmentally friendly infrastructure and the development of such technologies.

Climate change is no longer a story that people read in books. I feel it in the everyday weather, witness it in frequent extreme weather events, and see it on the news with new diseases and endangered native species. The scorching heat is always hitting my hot room, and I cannot seem to cool down without turning on the AC for hours on end. While the government's approach to addressing climate change can seem daunting and irrelevant to individual citizens, I found out that I can actively contribute to decreasing the emission of greenhouse gas. To name a few, I can choose to take public transportation, conserve energy by not using unnecessary electricity, and recycle. If enough people play their part, I would not have to face my childhood fear.