Seoul –
When he was a 20-week-old embryo – before he even had a real name – Choi Hee-woo became one of the world’s youngest-ever plaintiffs by joining a landmark climate lawsuit against South Korea.
His case, known as ‘Woodpecker et al. v. South Korea’, after Choi’s nickname in utero, seeks to prove that Seoul’s modest climate targets – cutting CO2 emissions by 40% from 2018 in 2030 – be a violation of their constitutionally guaranteed human rights. .
In the first such climate case in Asia – a similar youth-led effort recently proved successful in the US state of Montana, another is pending in the European Supreme Court – plaintiffs argue that South Korea’s legally binding climate commitments are insufficient and are complied with.
