韩国国会氢经济论坛议员团访问现代汽车南阳研发中心，讨论氢能生态支持但未出台具体政策

The National Assembly Hydrogen Economy Forum, a research group of lawmakers, visited the Namyang Research and Development Center of Hyundai Motor (005380) and Kia (000270) on the 2nd to review technology development and discuss ways to support the hydrogen ecosystem.
From the National Assembly, Rep. Lee Jong-bae, co-chair of the forum, attended along with Reps. Cho Bae-sook, Ahn Ho-young, Kim Joo-young, Park Hyung-soo and Kim So-hee. Kim Jae-hong, chairman of the Korea Hydrogen Alliance, and Seo Heung-won, vice chairman of the Korea Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association, joined as industry representatives. Hyundai Motor Group Vice Chairman Jang Jae-hoon and other executives received the delegation.
The lawmakers reviewed technology developed across the full hydrogen value chain, from production and transport to storage and use. Fuel cell systems, water electrolysis equipment, hydrogen refueling stations and battery systems were on display.
The group presented the development status of its next-generation fuel cell, which draws on nearly three decades of hydrogen technology accumulated at Hyundai Motor Group. Fuel cells determine the competitiveness of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, and the group is focusing research on cutting costs and size while raising output and durability. The lawmakers praised South Korea's leadership in the hydrogen vehicle market on the strength of that technology, along with its 2.3 billion kilometers of real-world driving data, the largest such dataset in the world.
The delegation and Hyundai Motor Group officials discussed hydrogen support measures aimed at strengthening global competitiveness. The group stressed the importance of a predictable and consistent policy environment for reviving the hydrogen ecosystem and for stable corporate investment. It explained the need for a virtuous-cycle ecosystem linking the entire hydrogen value chain and cited the Saemangeum AI Valley — an innovation growth hub combining energy, artificial intelligence, data centers and robotics — as a leading example of public-private cooperation. The group also shared its vision of leading the expansion of the global hydrogen market and enhancing national competitiveness through an export business built around a "hydrogen ecosystem package."
"The success or failure of the hydrogen economy depends not only on technology and industrial capability but also on the predictability and consistency of the policies that support them," Jang said. "When the government and industry cooperate in the same direction, companies can pursue continued investment, and on that basis it becomes possible to secure leadership in the global hydrogen industry and strengthen national competitiveness."
The Korea Hydrogen Alliance described difficulties in the field with specific examples and conveyed industry requests including the introduction of hydrogen production subsidies, construction of a hydrogen pipeline network and expansion of refueling infrastructure. The alliance said energy industries such as hydrogen take a long time to form markets and require supply and demand infrastructure to be built simultaneously, and it called for sustained and comprehensive support across the entire value chain. "The government needs to establish a stable demand base to invigorate the hydrogen market," Kim said.
Using the visit as a starting point, the forum plans to continue legislative and budgetary support at the parliamentary level to back research and development efforts in the field and the expansion of the hydrogen industry. In particular, members agreed to work toward enacting the hydrogen industry bill and the hydrogen city bill now under discussion. Enactment of the two laws is expected to accelerate expansion of the hydrogen market and the formation of regional hubs for hydrogen supply and demand.
"Hydrogen has a long way to go, but I feel a sense of urgency that if we hesitate here, we could fall behind as a hydrogen laggard," Lee said. "We need to accumulate data to improve the usability of hydrogen-based long-duration energy storage systems, and to compare power efficiency with other renewable energy sources and develop it further."
"I hope the success of the hydrogen business Hyundai Motor Group is pursuing in Saemangeum, along with its hydrogen-powered AI data center and physical AI projects, becomes a new turning point for the hydrogen industry as a whole," Ahn said.