Korea

Regulatory Background

Emission regulations for engines and vehicles are adopted by the Ministry of Environment. An advisory body is the National Institute of Environmental Research.

Depending on the application, Korea adopts either Euroapean or US-based emission standards.

• Emission standards for light-duty gasoline vehicles are based on US/California standards, while light-duty diesel regulations are based on European standards.
• Emission standards for heavy-duty truck and bus engines are based on European regulations.
• Emission standards for mobile nonroad diesel engines are based on US regulations.

Regulated Engines and Vehicles

Pollutant Emissions. Emission-regulated categories of engines and vehicles include:

• Light-duty vehicles,
• Heavy-duty engines,
• Nonroad engines.

In addition, air quality programs have been adopted to control ship emissions in Korean coastal waters.

GHG & Fuel Economy. Korea also adopted corporate average fuel economy and CO₂ emission standards for light-duty vehicles. The 2015 targets are 17 km/L and 140 g CO₂/km.