The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment (MCEE, Minister Kim Sunghwan) announced that, following intense competition to host the event, Korea has been selected as the final host of the “2026 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Climate Week.” 

UNFCCC Climate Week is a large-scale international event held annually ahead of the Conference of the Parties (COP), bringing together governments, international organizations, businesses, and civil society to discuss responses to the climate crisis. The event rotates around the world by region, and on January 29 Korea was officially con.firmed as the host country for this year’s Asia-Pacific Climate Week. 

The “2026 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Climate Week” will be held for six days starting April 20 this year in and around the Yeosu Expo Convention area*. The event will be a large-scale international gathering attended by approximately 1,000 climate experts from Korea and abroad, including key ministerial-level officials from the Asia-Pacific region and the Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC.

* Yeosu City was selected through an open public call conducted nationwide among local governments in October 2025.

The selection of Korea as the host reflects the international community’s high regard for the country’s commitment to addressing the climate crisis and its capacity to deliver concrete action. From the outset, multiple countries across the Asia region expressed interest in hosting the event, leading to intense competition until the final stages. 

Korea presented its vision for energy transition and a blueprint for a decarbonized green civilization, ultimately securing the final endorsement of the UNFCCC Secretariat. 

In addition, the government will host “Korea Green Transformation (K-GX) International Week” in conjunction with the event, aiming to drive international climate discussions beyond rhetoric and toward concrete implementation and action. 

At the “Korea Green Transformation (K-GX) International Week,” the latest global trends in decarbonization will be shared, and exemplary cases of the “Korea Green Transformation (K-GX)” will be actively promoted to the international community. 

In particular, the government, in collaboration with industry, will further flesh out pathways to achieve green transformation (GX) for decarbonization and create a forum to share exemplary local government-led carbon neutrality initiatives, showcasing outstanding cases of the “Korea Green Transformation (K-GX)” to the international community as a region-centered future growth strategy.

Jeong Eun-hae, Director General for International Cooperation Bureau at the MCEE, stated, “Securing this event amid intense competition is an opportunity to reaffirm Korea’s standing.” She added, “Following K-pop and K-food, we will foster the ‘Korea Green Transformation (K-GX)’ as another flagship national brand and present a new standard for carbon neutrality.”