We explore the relationship between economic growth and environmental quality in
South Korea. Economic growth is found to generate environmental pressure, but
empirical studies in this paper also shows that there exists an inverted U-shaped
relationship between environmental pressure measured in terms of SO2, NO2, TSP and
BOD and economic growth. The turning point of the curve is located around early
1980s. This coincides with the time when Korean environmental regulation and policies
became stricter. The results show some evidence towards the effectiveness of these
policies.