South Korea must move beyond hydrogen's potential and connect it to actual industry and markets, participants said at the 2026 National Academy of Engineering of Korea Hydrogen Economy Forum held in Seoul's Yeouido district on the 21st. The event was jointly organized by the academy and the National Assembly Hydrogen Economy Forum.
About 150 participants from the National Assembly, the government, industry, academia and research institutes discussed policy issues facing the hydrogen economy. Yoon Eui-joon, chairman of the academy, said hydrogen is not simply a matter of picking one fuel. "It is a national choice about which energy sources and technologies we will compete with globally, and what kind of country we will hand down to the next generation," the chairman said.
Rep. Lee Jong-bae of the People Power Party, a co-chair of the National Assembly Hydrogen Economy Forum, said the key task is linking hydrogen's potential to real industry and markets. "A complete hydrogen industry ecosystem can only be built when a stable production and supply base, storage and transport infrastructure, and diverse end users all grow together," the lawmaker said.
Rep. Chung Tae-ho of the Democratic Party of Korea, another co-chair of the forum, said it takes considerable time for problems raised in the field to translate into actual policy. "With limited budgets and time, we need to set priorities and create a predictable policy environment in which companies can make investment decisions," the lawmaker said.
Lee Kwang-jae, chairman of the National Assembly Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, delivered a keynote speech on the energy transition. "It is no exaggeration to call the artificial intelligence era an energy war," the chairman said. "What matters is maintaining consistency, rather than having energy policy drift every time the government changes."
Participants also discussed hydrogen applications and government projects. Moon Il, a professor at Yonsei University, said the transition to a hydrogen society is a direction the country must take for a sustainable future. "We need long-term plans that reflect technological and market realities, and consistent policy to support investment and innovation by industry," the professor said.
Shin Seung-kyu, executive vice president at Hyundai Motor Group, told reporters that South Korea announced the world's first hydrogen economy roadmap in 2019 but has seen some ups and downs in carrying it out. "With competitors such as China moving quickly on the hydrogen economy, we need to respond so that the technologies companies have secured do not go to waste," the executive said.
