A recent analysis found that 70 companies in South Korea each emitted more than one million tonnes of greenhouse gases annually, together accounting for 65.6% of the country's total emissions — approximately 453 million tonnes out of an estimated 691.58 million tonnes. Whilst overall emissions from these companies declined compared to the previous year, experts caution that this does not represent a substantive reduction achievement, noting that cuts are concentrated in specific sectors and that baseline targets are set at relatively low levels. The decline in the power generation sector is largely attributed to government-led phase-outs of ageing coal-fired plants rather than proactive corporate action. Excluding power generation, the largest emitters by sector were POSCO in steel, Ssangyong C&E in cement, Samsung Electronics in semiconductors, and S-Oil in petrochemicals.

The Business and Human Rights Centre invited responses from POSCO, Ssangyong C&E, Samsung Electronics, and S-Oil. Of these, only Samsung Electronics responded; its response can be found in the company response.