Korea is no exception to global warming. The summer season has recently expanded to approximately six months, from early May to mid October. Tropical night weather of over 25°C is no longer a surprise. As a result, the country’s reliance on air conditioning in the summer is extraordinary. As a country solely dependent on imported oil, the government has put forth measures to prevent another nationwide blackout before one of the hottest summer seasons expected in recent years.

26 and 28 degrees Celsius

One of the energy-saving measures set forth by the government is enduring indoor temperatures above 26°C in large private buildings and above 28°C in public offices between June and September. Private buildings using more than 100 kilowatts of electricity per hour are subject to the temperature limit as well as businesses that use more than 2,000 tons of oil equivalent (TOE) of energy per year. Violators will be subject to a fine of up to 3 million won. Department stores, franchise coffee shops, clothing stores, cosmetics shops, banks, and insurance company branches that turn on air conditioners with their doors open will also be subject to a fine. The names of public offices and departments that do not observe the rule will be made public.


At the same time, the government has plans to raise electricity charges. The state-run Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO), provider of 90% of the nation’s electricity, has recently called for a hike in electricity prices citing the current low price as the main source of its widening deficit. Experts expect higher electricity charges will curb the demand for electricity.

Cool-Biz Campaign

In line with the temperature ban, government agencies and private firms have started to adopt the Cool-Biz campaign. A compound of ‘cool’ and ‘business’, Cool-Biz refers to an energy conservation initiative launched in Japan in 2004 that advised workers to dress lightly and casually rather than in heavy suits or formal clothing to enable air conditioners to be turned down. Korea’s Ministry of Environment launched a similar campaign in 2009 under the name Coolmaepsi, a combination of ‘cool’ and the Korean word ‘maepsi’ meaning ‘style.’

From June to August, public servants of the Seoul Metropolitan Government will have the option of wearing shorts and sandals to City Hall. The customer and client-facing departments, however, are encouraged to dress formally. Suwon City Government will participate in the Cool-Biz movement by wearing T-shirts to the office.

High-ranking bureaucrats are also taking part in the Cool-Biz movement. On June 12, President Lee Myung-bak and ministers attended a Cabinet meeting in short sleeves in an effort to save energy.

Companies are no exception. KT&G, Korea’s largest cigarette maker, has liberalized workplace dress codes by permitting employees to wear shorts and sandals. This is the first dress code policy change for the company since its establishment in 1987. Financial institutions including Samsung Securities, Woori Securities, and Daishin Securities also allow a no-tie, no-jacket dress code for their employees until September. This is an exceptional case for Daishin Securities which was known to have a strict formal dress code, checking employees’ attires before and after work hours.

Leading to a change in daily lives

The government’s energy conservation efforts have started to have an impact on citizens as well. Realizing the importance of energy consumption, consumers have started to show interest in power-efficient electronic goods. “Customers always ask about the power efficiency when looking at electronic goods these days. They are more cautious about energy consumption than before,” says Lee Sung-bum, the store manager of an electronic goods store in Heukseok-dong.

The government hopes the energy conservation campaign will not be a one-off compulsory event, but one that will lead to a fundamental change in the nation’s power consumption habits.