Six South Korean farmers have announced plans to sue the country’s state-owned utility company, arguing that its burning of fossil fuels has contributed to climate change and damaged their crops.

The farmers are seeking compensation from the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) for the economic and emotional damages they have suffered from extreme weather driven by climate change.

On Tuesday, they held a press conference in Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, displaying placards with slogans such as “The Last Fruit Shop”, “a pear-less nation” and “soft peaches, firm peaches – in the future, NO peaches”.

Rice farmer Seong-yeol Hwang told journalists: “I’ve poured my heart into growing rice but this year’s heavy rains flooded my fields.”

“Why is it always powerless farmers like us who suffer, while KEPCO and its subsidiaries – who are fuelling the climate crisis – take no responsibility and neglect the urgent need to address climate change?” he asked.

Apple farmer Yong-un Ma added that his fruit are blooming earlier in April each year. “If a sudden cold snap hits, the flowers freeze or grow into deformed fruit. We’ve had poor harvests because of this, and in 2023, apple prices skyrocketed nationwide due to widespread crop failure,” he explained.

The farmers’ lead lawyer Yeny Kim said that, according to government projections, crops like apples and peaches will no longer be cultivable in her clients’ home regions. “The plaintiffs continue to farm under deep uncertainty, enduring reduced yields, lower quality, and additional costs for climate adaptation,” she said.

Economic and emotional damage

The farmers are demanding five million Korean won ($3,597) each from KEPCO for economic damages, a figure that is expected to increase as the case develops.

They are also seeking a symbolic payment of 2,035 won ($1.46) for emotional damages, with the 2,035 figure chosen as a reference to the year 2035 when the farmers think the government needs to phase out coal, five years ahead of its existing target.

KEPCO and its subsidiaries were responsible for about a quarter of South Korea’s emissions between 2011 and 2022, according to analysis by the NGO Solutions For Our Climate, making it the country’s single largest corporate contributor to the country’s climate-heating pollution.

The analysis also found that KEPCO accounted for roughly 0.39% of the world’s emissions during this period, with lawyer Kim arguing that it should bear responsibility for at least this percentage of global climate damages.

Between 2000 and 2025, only China, India and Indonesia opened more coal-fired power capacity than South Korea, according to Global Energy Monitor data, with KEPCO now operating more coal power capacity than all but 11 other companies worldwide. KEPCO also operates nuclear and gas-fired power stations and produces a much smaller amount of electricity f