SEOGWIPO, Jeju Island — Jeju is accelerating its push to become Korea’s leading hub of clean energy transition, with Gov. Oh Young-hun unveiling plans to expand green hydrogen production and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) commercialization while laying the groundwork for exporting the island’s integrated model abroad.
“The core of V2G commercialization is a vehicle capable of bidirectional charging. Right now, the EV9 is the eligible vehicle. Jeju surpassed a 10 percent electric vehicle (EV) rate in July, nearly five times the national average,” the governor said during a press conference held during the 2025 Green Hydrogen Global Forum in southern Jeju, Friday.
“Most of the cars cannot be used for bidirectional charging. That is why future distribution must expand around vehicles such as (Kia’s) EV9. With higher subsidy ratios and various incentive policies being introduced, we expect adoption to rise.”
Oh shared that Jeju plans to expand hydrogen production fivefold, noting ongoing partner projects such as the newly signed agreement with Hyundai Motors Group.
“Currently, about one ton is produced per day from a 3.3 megawatt facility. Once the 10.9 megawatt demonstration project with (the state-run) Korea Southern Power begins, the demonstration is expected to be completed in two years,” he said.
“The 5 megawatt demonstration project with Hyundai Motor also appears to require two years. In the long term, the aim is to produce 60,000 tons of green hydrogen annually by 2035.”
He added that this hydrogen roadmap is closely tied to Jeju’s goal of going fully carbon neutral by 2035.
“Our target year for carbon neutrality is 2035, and in line with that, we plan to increase renewables from the current 20 percent to 70 percent. For the remaining 30 percent, we aim for power generation through fully hydrogen-fueled turbines,” he said.
“Currently, Jeju has three thermal power plants, and if we convert all three to hydrogen-only generation, all our energy sources will transition to green energy. We are moving forward in line with that goal.”
Green hydrogen powered buses in Jeju / Courtesy of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province
Kim Sang-hyup, Green Growth Global Institute (GGGI) director-general, underlined that technology is no longer a barrier. Instead, the remaining challenge lies in policy and regulatory support to ensure integration into the energy grid.
“Hyundai Motor already doesn’t consider V2G a technological difficulty. If the right policies, regulations and practical energy systems enabling interaction with the power grid are implemented, integration can happen quickly,” he said.
“The reason GGGI is paying attention to Jeju is because there are about a thousand places worldwide with similar energy and mobility needs. With its distributed clean energy system, Jeju could become a new export model for public energy systems, and many countries and cities are showing interest. GGGI intends to act as a platform to connect such collaborations.”
Jeju is also planning to scale hydrogen infrastructure into residential areas. Oh explained that the island is preparing a green energy city project in the Hwabuk area. “To move toward a hydrogen society, we need to expand energy sources in apartment complexes to include hydrogen fuel cells,” he said.
“We are currently preparing 5,500 apartment units in the Hwabuk area, with the goal of creating a green energy city there. Collaboration with Hyundai Motor is expected in the process.”
Shin Yong-han, vice chair of the Presidential Committee for Decentralization and Balanced Development, emphasized Jeju’s national role. “The government is working to develop different cases under the carbon neutral initiative, and Jeju is becoming a leading model for this effort,” he said.
“While green hydrogen may not be suitable for all regions, in terms of carbon neutrality, Jeju represents the best pilot case for wider adoption.”
