Research on the Environmental Effects and Green Development Path of South Korean Foreign Trade

Purpose - This paper aims to examine the environmental effects of South Korean foreign trade, and the changing relationship between industrial “three wastes” emissions and foreign trade. Design/methodology - Based on time series data of South Korean foreign trade and industrial “three wastes” from 2009 to 2019, a VAR model was used to analyze the long-term internal links and dynamic changes between foreign trade and environmental pollution. Findings - Variance decomposition analysis shows that for the three types of pollutants, self-impact contributes the most to the variance decomposition. It follows that South Korean foreign trade has a certain negative impact on the environment, and this impact has a certain sustainability. Originality/value - This paper contributes to the study on the relationship between foreign trade and environmental pollution. It theoretically proposes a coordinated development path for foreign trade development and green development based on the environmental impact of foreign trade, to provide a reference for the development of collaborative promotion.