In the early 20th century, German meteorologist Wladimir Köppen classified the world's climates into tropical, arid, temperate, continental, and polar categories. Under the Köppen classification system, the Korean Peninsula sits between temperate and continental climates. The northern inland regions are closer to a continental climate, while the southern and coastal regions are temperate. Yet according to the Korea Meteorological Administration's recent "Climate Analysis of the Korean Peninsula in the Late 21st Century," most regions of the country, except for the Yeongseo area of Gangwon Province, may shift to a subtropical climate after 2081. A subtropical climate refers to a state in which the average temperature of the coldest month ranges between 6 and 18 degrees, while months with a monthly average temperature of 10 degrees or higher continue for at least eight months.
Korea's agricultural and marine products are already strongly influenced by the subtropical climate. According to statistics from the Rural Development Administration, the number of farms cultivating subtropical crops exceeded 6,000 in 2023. Fruits once seen only in Southeast Asia, such as mango, passion fruit, and papaya, have long been grown on Korean farms. A weekend farm in Seoul successfully cultivated bananas last year. Fish species are also changing, with cold-current species declining and warm-current fish such as yellowtail and Pacific bluefin tuna increasing sharply. The National Institute of Fisheries Science is investigating the potential to use the blue crab, a subtropical species, as a marine resource, as it has been caught repeatedly off Jeju Island recently. As insects that inhabit subtropical regions, such as the so-called lovebug (Plecia longiforceps), spread widely in Korea, the pest control industry is also growing rapidly.
As companies seek to turn the trend of climate change into an opportunity to create new demand, consumers' range of choices is widening. Recently, one department store became the first in the retail industry to sell domestically grown pecans. Instead of pecans centered on U.S. imports, it began selling pecans produced in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, and other areas, which reportedly sold out within two weeks. As signs of the Korean Peninsula's climate becoming subtropical increase, the characteristics of a "subtropical economy" are emerging in industrial and consumption patterns. Climate tech, the innovative technology responding to climate change, is also one of the major tasks facing the Korean economy. As the global climate map gradually shifts, now is the time for active efforts to turn climate change into a new source of opportunity.
