A comparative study of laws and policies on supporting marine energy development in China and Korea

Marine energy technologies in China and Korea are still in the follow-up stage compared to advanced countries. However, both countries have abundant marine energy resources, and the research for early commercialization in development, advancement, and verification of marine energy technology is actively underway. However, for early commercialization of marine energy, national policy support, investment, and development strategies are required. In this study, the current technologies, laws, policies and incentive systems in China were compared to those in Korea, and challenges to be solved were reviewed. As a result, it was found that concrete strategies to support marine energy need to be established, and the subsidy system to induce private company participation should be improved. In addition, since recognizing the necessity of marine energy development, both countries are expected to play an important role in the global marine energy market in the future. •The paper compares the current technologies, laws, policies and incentive systems of marine energy in China and Korea.•So far, marine energy is still at a low technological level to enter market competition both in China and Korea.•A variety of challenges have been encountered in the development of marine energy in China and Korea.