The embassies of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden in South Korea will co-host a webinar on Thursday to share their experiences of long-term public-private partnerships that can accelerate the decarbonization of industries for a more sustainable economy.

Titled “Nordic Talks Korea: Innovation for a Green Transition,” the event will bring together experts from Korea and the Nordic region to discuss how the public sector, the private sector and the rest of society can collaborate to incentivize the transition to a low-emission economy.

Danish Ambassador Einar Jensen and Finnish Ambassador Pekka Metso will jointly moderate the webinar, which will start with an opening speech by Choi Yoon-jong, director-general of the Green Seoul Bureau at the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

The first session of the webinar will look at renewable solutions for attaining carbon neutrality in the ocean space and maritime industries, and the second session will focus on the economic justification for going green and the role of the private sector.

At the first session, Veronica Charlotte Haugan, project manager for innovation at NCE Maritime CleanTech, will speak on “green shipping through cluster collaboration.” Lee Jae-myung, professor and director of the Hydrogen Ship Technology Center at Pusan National University, will discuss how well prepared Korea is for zero emissions in the marine sector.

Speakers at the second session include Malin Strand, policy strategist and project manager at Fossil Free Sweden, who will discuss how Swedish companies in industries including steel and agriculture plan for fossil-free competitiveness in public-private partnerships. Chung In-hee, a sustainability expert and adviser to LG Chem, will cover how companies in Korea and Sweden are scaling up innovation for sustainable growth, and Cheong Byung-ki, president of the Green Technology Center, will speak on plans for the green transition from the perspective of the Korean public sector.

“Nordic countries have taken note of Korea’s recent ambition and significant investment to move on a greener path to the future,” said Ambassador Metso, referring to the Korean government’s push for the Green New Deal and the 2050 Carbon Neutrality Vision.

“Implementing these ambitions will require great efforts to decarbonize energy production, transport, all industry segments, and consumption. As such, this event will look at how the combination of technological innovation and long-term dedication can radically change the trajectory and speed up the process,” Ambassador Jensen added.

The event is free and open to the public. It will be livestreamed on the official Nordic Talks Korea website Thursday at 7 p.m. Those wishing to take part and engage with the speakers via the live chat can preregister for the online event in advance via www.nordictalkskorea.com/ticket.

The event marks the seventh edition of Nordic Talks Korea. The four embassies launched the series in 2019 in collaboration with the Seoul Metropolitan Government to raise awareness of various global issues and to spark discussions about solutions to problems facing the world.

By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)