The Republic of Korea has meager resources of energy minerals. Only hydroelectric power and coal were listed as sources of energy indigenous to Korea in the report of the 1967 World Energy Conference. Small reserves of thorium have been estimated and the discovery of uranium was reported in 1977 (A. W. Noonan, Jr., U.S. Department of State, written commun., 1977). Petroleum, natural gas, and geothermal energy sources possibly exist in South Korea, but their potential for development is not considered to be great. About 55 percent of the energy in the Republic is produced from petroleum, most of which is imported as crude and is refined in-country. Domestically produced coal supplies about 32 percent of the energy demand, hydroelectric power about 4 percent, and other sources (firewood, charcoal, and dung) about 9 percent. South Korea's latest energy program stresses construction of additional hydroelectric power installations, increased production of coal, initiation of energy production by atomic reactors, onshore and offshore exploration for petroleum and natural gas, generation of energy by tidal power, and energy savings through conservation (R. A. Stella, written commun., 1977).
