Korea and the International Energy Agency announced a new initiative called RISE ASIA during meetings in Seoul on 17 September. The partnership aims to strengthen energy security, affordability and sustainability across the region. IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol also met President Lee Jae Myung to discuss energy priorities amid disruption linked to the Middle East conflict. Their conversation covered Korea's efforts to give electricity a central role, including contributions from renewable energy and nuclear power.
The initiative was announced with Korea's climate, energy and environment minister, Kim Sung-hwan. It reflects an effort to connect national policy discussions with wider regional cooperation. During a separate speech in Busan, Birol highlighted technology and innovation as tools for improving security while supporting growth and emissions reductions. These priorities are related but require coordinated choices: energy must be dependable, reasonably priced and progressively cleaner. The announcement establishes a direction for cooperation; it does not itself demonstrate that those intended outcomes have already been achieved.