South Korea is leveraging global climate agreements to meet its ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets, but one of its strategies involving GHG offsets raises complex questions about legal risks, environmental integrity and economic priorities.

At the “Global Net Zero Connection 2024,” South Korea signed memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with Bangladesh and Cambodia to frame the implementation of Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs) under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement.

These agreements allow states to offset domestic emissions by investing in eligible climate mitigation and adaptation activities such as renewable energy plants, reforestation efforts or clean energy infrastructure abroad. For