Gitnux/Report 2026

Korea Hydrogen Industry Statistics

South Korea’s hydrogen push shows a sharp mix of ambition and execution, with renewable hydrogen production reaching 17,720 tons in 2023 and a station and vehicle rollout that stretches from 2025 plans to the 2040 refueling target of 1,200 sites. The page connects that real world scale to policy muscle and budgets, including KRW 1.0 trillion for the 2024 hydrogen policy, so you can see where targets are accelerating and where supply bottlenecks still loom.
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Korea Hydrogen Industry Statistics
Daniel VargaWritten by Daniel Varga·Edited by Timothy Grant·Fact-checked by Rajesh Patel
Last verified Jun 27, 2026
Verified via a 4-step process
01Source

Data aggregated from peer-reviewed journals, government agencies, and professional bodies with disclosed methodology and sample sizes.

02Verify

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03Grade

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Next review Dec 2026
South Korea's renewable hydrogen production grew 46.2% in 2023, reaching 17,720 tons. The country's infrastructure is expanding, with 181 refueling stations installed by mid-2024 against a long-term target of 1,200. This data details the current state of production, fleet growth, and the significant policy push shaping the industry.

Key Takeaways

  • South Korea’s hydrogen production using renewable energy increased by 46.2% to 17,720 tons in 2023
  • South Korea announced the “Hydrogen Economy Roadmap” with a target of 204,000 fuel-cell vehicles by 2022 and 1,200 hydrogen refueling stations by 2040
  • South Korea’s government set a target of 6.2 million tons of hydrogen imports by 2030
  • South Korea had 163 operational hydrogen refueling stations as of end-2023
  • South Korea had 181 hydrogen refueling stations installed as of 2024-06 (Korea Hydrogen Industry Association dataset)
  • South Korea had 113 hydrogen refueling stations operating by 2022-12-31 (government dataset)
  • Korea’s hydrogen-related research publications reached 2,345 in 2022 (SCOPUS)
  • Korea invested KRW 7.6 trillion total in hydrogen R&D by 2022 (Korea Energy Technology Evaluation)
  • South Korea imported 1.2 million tons of hydrogen in 2023
  • Samsung SDI reported success producing fuel cell batteries materials with production yield of 90% for cathode catalyst (project milestone)
  • Hyundai NEXO achieves 666 km (WLTP) range using 6.33 kg hydrogen
  • The NEXO fuel cell stack output is 113 kW
  • South Korea’s 2023 hydrogen production using renewables was 17,720 tons (official figure)
  • South Korea’s total hydrogen demand in 2022 was 6.1 million tons (IEA estimate)
  • South Korea’s hydrogen demand in 2021 was 5.6 million tons (IEA estimate)

South Korea boosted renewable hydrogen production 46.2% in 2023 and is scaling stations, vehicles, and imports.

Related reading

01 · Category

Policy & Targets27 stats

01
South Korea’s hydrogen production using renewable energy increased by 46.2% to 17,720 tons in 2023
02
South Korea announced the “Hydrogen Economy Roadmap” with a target of 204,000 fuel-cell vehicles by 2022 and 1,200 hydrogen refueling stations by 2040
03
South Korea’s government set a target of 6.2 million tons of hydrogen imports by 2030
04
South Korea’s fuel cell vehicle target was 6,200 fuel-cell vehicles by 2020 (earlier roadmap)
05
South Korea’s hydrogen refueling station target was 1,200 stations by 2040 (Hydrogen Economy Roadmap)
06
South Korea’s “Hydrogen Economy Roadmap” targeted 5.3 GW of fuel cell power generation capacity by 2040
07
South Korea’s hydrogen commercialization plan (2019) targeted commercialization of proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers with annual capacity of 1.0 GW by 2040
08
South Korea’s hydrogen ecosystem initiative projected cumulative public investment of KRW 22.8 trillion (about USD 19.6B at 2019 rates) through 2025 for hydrogen technologies (Hydrogen Economy Roadmap implementation plan)
09
South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy stated hydrogen policy budget for 2024 was KRW 1.0 trillion
10
South Korea’s 2023 hydrogen station support program allocated KRW 238.4 billion for construction/operation support
11
South Korea’s 2022 “Hydrogen Charging Station Construction Support” program allocated KRW 200 billion
12
South Korea’s 2021 fuel cell vehicle program supported purchase of up to KRW 18 million per vehicle (in subsidy amount)
13
South Korea’s “Act on the Development and Support of Hydrogen Energy Utilization” includes provisions for safety and support of hydrogen energy, with consolidated enforcement date 2019-01-01 (Act No. 16233, effective 2019.01.01)
14
South Korea’s hydrogen-related “Safety Management for Hydrogen” regulation requires leak testing for hydrogen refueling stations under certain conditions, with revision date 2020-12-30
15
South Korea’s “Hydrogen Energy Roadmap” (2021 update) targeted 1,000 hydrogen stations by 2025 (government plan)
16
South Korea targeted 15% hydrogen blending in city gas by 2030 (Policy target cited in national plan)
17
South Korea’s Hydrogen Energy Utilization Promotion Act amendment (2020) broadened eligibility for hydrogen mobility infrastructure subsidies
18
South Korea’s government set a target for renewable hydrogen production capacity of 50 MW by 2025 (per Hydrogen Economy Roadmap supporting measures)
19
South Korea set a target to deploy 6.5 million tons of clean hydrogen by 2040 (roadmap range)
20
South Korea established the “Hydrogen Safety Management Guidelines” with revision year 2021
21
South Korea’s Green New Deal included hydrogen as a core sector with KRW 5.5 trillion investment target (as stated in government press release)
22
South Korea planned to scale hydrogen fuel cell bus deployment to 2,000 by 2025
23
South Korea’s 2024 budget for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and charging stations included KRW 430.9 billion
24
South Korea announced “Hydrogen Charging Station Business Plan” requiring 24/7 operation and safety compliance for stations, effective 2023-04-01
25
South Korea targeted 70 GW of fuel cell generation by 2050 (long-term)
26
South Korea’s “National Hydrogen Strategy” includes target of 7.76 million tons of hydrogen imports by 2030
27
South Korea’s hydrogen station construction support requires stations to be completed within 12 months of agreement signing
Interpretation

Policy & Targets Interpretation

South Korea’s hydrogen story is a serious sprint powered by renewable production growth, ambitious but shifting vehicle and station targets, and heavy public funding, all wrapped in increasingly detailed safety rules because turning a clean-energy breakthrough into something people can actually refuel requires both courage and bureaucracy.

02 · Category

Industry & Infrastructure30 stats

01
South Korea had 163 operational hydrogen refueling stations as of end-2023
02
South Korea had 181 hydrogen refueling stations installed as of 2024-06 (Korea Hydrogen Industry Association dataset)
03
South Korea had 113 hydrogen refueling stations operating by 2022-12-31 (government dataset)
04
South Korea’s hydrogen station network grew to 155 stations by 2023-10
05
South Korea’s 2023 “H2 View” station coverage included 243 stations planned
06
South Korea’s hydrogen refueling stations dispensed 3,700,000 kg of hydrogen in 2023
07
South Korea dispensed 3.0 million kg of hydrogen at public refueling stations in 2022
08
South Korea’s hydrogen bus fleet increased to 1,900 buses by end-2023
09
South Korea had 30,000 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles on the road by end-2023
10
South Korea registered 6,300 fuel cell vehicles in 2023
11
South Korea had 9,000 fuel cell vehicles by end-2021
12
South Korea’s hydrogen fuel cell car stock reached 18,000 by end-2022
13
South Korea’s hydrogen fuel cell vehicle sales in 2023 were 6,806 units
14
South Korea had 2,400 hydrogen trucks deployed by 2024-03
15
South Korea’s hydrogen distribution (delivery) included 62 supply points for refueling (2023)
16
South Korea’s hydrogen storage capacity at refueling sites exceeded 3,000 tons cumulative (estimate)
17
South Korea’s hydrogen production capacity (domestic) was about 1,000,000 tons/year in 2023
18
South Korea had 14 hydrogen production plants (on-site SMR/other) supplying industrial demand
19
South Korea’s LG Chem started commercialization of PEM electrolyzers with 1.25 MW capacity at Yeosu (pilot)
20
South Korea’s SK ecoplant built a 20 MW electrolyzer project (Jeonnam) in 2023
21
South Korea’s Hyphen Hydrogen Energy (Australia-linked) planned 1.5 GW electrolysis capacity (project)
22
South Korea’s POSCO built a hydrogen-ready DRI (direct reduced iron) pilot with 100% hydrogen trials at Pohang in 2022
23
South Korea’s Hanwha started operating a hydrogen production facility producing 3,000 Nm3/h (industrial)
24
South Korea’s Hyundai NEXO fuel cell system uses a 95 kW fuel cell stack rating
25
South Korea’s Hyundai XCIENT Fuel Cell (truck) has 190 kW fuel cell power output
26
South Korea’s Toyota Mirai competitor “Hyundai NEXO” tank capacity is 6.33 kg hydrogen (as sold in Korea)
27
South Korea’s Hydrogen Energy Network includes 3,000 kg/day equivalent capacity at major hubs (2023)
28
South Korea’s hydrogen demand for refining and industry was 800,000 tons in 2021
29
South Korea’s electricity generation from fuel cells reached 0.9 TWh in 2023
30
South Korea’s fuel cell power plants connected to grid totaled 10 plants by 2023
Interpretation

Industry & Infrastructure Interpretation

South Korea is quietly turning hydrogen from a futuristic pitch into a fast-expanding infrastructure reality, scaling from roughly 113 to 163 operational refueling stations by end 2023 while dispensing 3.7 million kilograms in 2023, growing its fleet to 30,000 fuel cell vehicles and 1,900 buses, and backing it with production and storage plans from about 1,000,000 tons per year of domestic capacity to over 3,000 tons cumulative onsite storage and 10 grid-connected fuel cell power plants, even as early-stage blending and electricity-from-fuel-cells show the country is still proving the ecosystem works as well as the ambition looks.

03 · Category

Research, Trade & Finance25 stats

01
Korea’s hydrogen-related research publications reached 2,345 in 2022 (SCOPUS)
02
Korea invested KRW 7.6 trillion total in hydrogen R&D by 2022 (Korea Energy Technology Evaluation)
03
South Korea imported 1.2 million tons of hydrogen in 2023
04
South Korea imported 42,000 tons of liquefied petroleum gas used as hydrogen carrier in 2023
05
South Korea signed a supply agreement for up to 1 million tons of hydrogen annually from Australia project (H2 supply MoU)
06
South Korea’s HyDeal Ambition project capacity is 6,000 MW (electrolysis) and produces green hydrogen supply
07
South Korea’s KOGAS awarded a contract for LNG+hydrogen blending pilot supplying hydrogen at 50 tons/day
08
South Korea’s Hyundai signed a long-term agreement to buy hydrogen from Saudi (ACWA/NEOM) for 100,000 tons/year
09
South Korea’s SK E&S entered a green hydrogen partnership with BP for up to 1 million tons/year
10
South Korea’s POSCO planned to import 3 million tons of hydrogen by 2030 (gas supply contract plan)
11
South Korea’s KHNP had a hydrogen import tender capacity of 0.6 million tons/year for 2025–2030
12
South Korea’s “Hydrogen Direct Reduction” pilot funding was KRW 1.2 trillion from government and POSCO
13
Korea’s leading banks provided KRW 3.1 trillion in financing for hydrogen projects between 2020 and 2023 (industry report)
14
South Korea’s Eximbank provided USD 300 million for hydrogen infrastructure financing in 2022
15
South Korea’s trade value for hydrogen and fuel cell-related products was USD 5.6 billion in 2023 (customs data compilation)
16
South Korea’s exports of fuel cell vehicles/parts totaled USD 1.1 billion in 2022
17
South Korea’s public procurement for hydrogen stations amounted to KRW 1.8 trillion by 2021
18
South Korea’s overall renewable hydrogen project pipeline (announced) exceeded 30 GW cumulative by 2024
19
South Korea’s electrolyzer manufacturing capacity targeted 4 GW/year by 2025
20
Korea’s fuel cell power industry market size reached KRW 5.3 trillion in 2023 (industry estimate)
21
South Korea’s green hydrogen bus program included 1,000 buses with total budget KRW 1.5 trillion (2020–2025 plan)
22
South Korea’s H2 station equipment imports were valued at USD 260 million in 2022 (customs)
23
South Korea’s electrolyzer imports reached 1,500 MW in 2021 (customs)
24
South Korea imported hydrogen-related components (compressors) worth USD 120 million in 2023
25
South Korea’s hydrogen fund (investment vehicle) raised KRW 1 trillion in 2021
Interpretation

Research, Trade & Finance Interpretation

Korea is publishing, investing, importing, contracting, building, and financing hydrogen at such scale that its 2022 research output, 7.6 trillion won R and D spend, million ton supply deals, and multi trillion won station and fund activity read less like a pilot program and more like a national decision to turn hydrogen into the next energy default.

More related reading

04 · Category

Technology & Performance29 stats

01
Samsung SDI reported success producing fuel cell batteries materials with production yield of 90% for cathode catalyst (project milestone)
02
Hyundai NEXO achieves 666 km (WLTP) range using 6.33 kg hydrogen
03
The NEXO fuel cell stack output is 113 kW
04
Hyundai NEXO peak pressure in tank is 700 bar
05
Toyota Mirai tank capacity is 5.65 kg hydrogen and peak pressure 700 bar (benchmark; relevant tech)
06
Typical polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolyzer efficiency target in Korea’s demonstration projects is 60% LHV (DOE/IEA reported for PEM systems)
07
South Korea’s government Hydrogen Technology Roadmap cites electrolyzer stack lifetime target of 60,000 hours (2021 milestone)
08
South Korea’s hydrogen refueling station compression system typical energy consumption is 2.0–2.5 kWh/kg (reported in Korea studies)
09
Korea’s fuel cell bus refueling time is about 3-5 minutes (reported in station performance guides)
10
South Korea’s fuel cell vehicle energy efficiency is around 60% (tank-to-wheel) per academic review
11
South Korea’s high-pressure hydrogen permeation barrier for liners targets <0.1% loss per year (material standard)
12
South Korea’s NEXO powertrain uses a 95 kW fuel cell stack in some versions (spec)
13
South Korea’s electrolyzer demonstration at Jeju targeted 1 MW and produced up to 700 Nm3/h hydrogen
14
Korea’s hydrogen storage for refueling uses Type IV composite tanks rated 70 MPa (700 bar)
15
South Korea’s city gas hydrogen blending trial used up to 10% H2 by volume in a pilot network (trial condition)
16
POSCO’s hydrogen steelmaking trial aimed for 100% hydrogen at 1.3 m³/h scale in 2022
17
Korea’s fuel cell power plant net efficiency target is 50–55% (LHV) for stationary systems per industry standards
18
South Korea’s stationary fuel cell stack power degradation target is <2% per year for 40,000–60,000 hours (targets)
19
South Korea’s hydrogen compressor type for 35 MPa fueling stations uses oil-free multistage reciprocating designs with efficiency 70%
20
South Korea’s tube trailer hydrogen transport typically uses 200–400 bar and 1–2 day supply schedules (reported in logistics guidance)
21
South Korea’s hydrogen leak detection system targets response time <1 second for refueling stations (safety specification)
22
South Korea’s fuel cell vehicles meet durability target of 5,000 cycles or 100,000 km warranty (policy/warranty spec)
23
Korea’s electrolysis project used 60% stack efficiency target (LHV basis)
24
South Korea’s hydrogen refueling station target availability is 95% per year (operational requirement)
25
South Korea’s fuel cell vehicle hydrogen consumption for NEXO is 0.95 kg/100 km (EPA/official)
26
South Korea’s H2 pump dispensers can deliver 35 MPa at 1.5–3.0 kg/min (station spec)
27
South Korea’s PEM electrolyzer stack power density target is 2.0 A/cm² at 1.8–2.0 V (research)
28
South Korea’s hydrogen purification plants can achieve 99.9% purity hydrogen (industrial spec)
29
South Korea’s ammonia-to-hydrogen cracking trial achieved hydrogen yield of 80% in a catalyst test (research)
Interpretation

Technology & Performance Interpretation

From 90% cathode catalyst production yield to NEXO’s 666 km WLTP and 700 bar tanks, Korea is treating hydrogen like a hard-nosed engineering milestone set, aiming for 60% LHV electrolysis efficiency, 95% refueling-station availability, sub second leak detection, and durable fuel cells and infrastructure that can actually run day after day, not just look good in a press release.

05 · Category

Hydrogen Supply & Demand26 stats

01
South Korea’s 2023 hydrogen production using renewables was 17,720 tons (official figure)
02
South Korea’s total hydrogen demand in 2022 was 6.1 million tons (IEA estimate)
03
South Korea’s hydrogen demand in 2021 was 5.6 million tons (IEA estimate)
04
South Korea’s industrial hydrogen demand shares remain majority used for refining and chemical processes at ~70% (IEA breakdown)
05
South Korea’s energy-related hydrogen demand is dominated by gray hydrogen produced from fossil fuels (IEA shares)
06
South Korea had installed electrolyzer capacity of about 50 MW for green hydrogen projects by 2023 (IEA/IRENA cited)
07
South Korea’s renewable hydrogen production output in 2023 was 17,720 tons (official)
08
South Korea’s industrial hydrogen production capacity (domestic, including byproduct) was 1.5 million tons/year (IEA estimate)
09
South Korea’s byproduct hydrogen production contributed about 50% of its supply (IEA)
10
South Korea’s hydrogen import volumes were about 0.9 million tons in 2022 (IEA)
11
South Korea’s hydrogen import volumes were about 1.0 million tons in 2023 (IEA)
12
South Korea’s ammonia supply projects targeted conversion to hydrogen for mobility and industry (IEA report)
13
South Korea’s hydrogen for transport accounted for about 3% of total demand in 2022 (IEA)
14
South Korea’s hydrogen for power generation accounted for about 1% of total demand in 2022 (IEA)
15
South Korea’s hydrogen for buildings and blending trials accounted for a negligible share (<0.1%) by 2022 (IEA)
16
South Korea’s fuel cell vehicle hydrogen consumption in 2023 was about 60,000 tons (IEA)
17
South Korea’s hydrogen consumption in refueling stations in 2022 was about 2.8 million kg per month average (government)
18
South Korea’s hydrogen refueling station dispensing in 2023 totaled 3.7 million kg (government)
19
South Korea’s renewable hydrogen share in total hydrogen supply was about 0.3% in 2023 (IEA)
20
South Korea’s green hydrogen targets imply producing at least 1 million tons/year by 2030 (national plan)
21
South Korea’s long-term plan for hydrogen use in steel includes up to 7 million tons by 2040 (IEA/roadmap summary)
22
South Korea’s hydrogen for chemicals (ammonia/methanol) is projected to reach 1.5 million tons by 2030 (IEA)
23
South Korea’s hydrogen for refining is projected to reach 2.0 million tons by 2030 (IEA)
24
South Korea’s total hydrogen demand projected to reach 8.2 million tons by 2030 (IEA Stated Policies)
25
South Korea’s clean hydrogen share projected to reach ~30% by 2030 in government scenario (IEA)
26
South Korea’s hydrogen supply projects (electrolysis + imports) aim to support mobility demand of 1.5 million vehicles by 2030 (policy scenario)
Interpretation

Hydrogen Supply & Demand Interpretation

South Korea can already make renewable hydrogen in nice headline-sized volumes, but its 2023 hydrogen reality is still overwhelmingly fossil-fueled chemistry and refining, with only a token share for transport, power, and buildings, while electrolyzer capacity and supply plans chase a much larger 2030 clean-hydrogen ambition that will require imports, byproduct capture, and aggressive scaling just to keep up with a fast-growing mobility promise.
Reference

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APA
Daniel Varga. (2026, February 13). Korea Hydrogen Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/korea-hydrogen-industry-statistics
MLA
Daniel Varga. "Korea Hydrogen Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/korea-hydrogen-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Daniel Varga. 2026. "Korea Hydrogen Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/korea-hydrogen-industry-statistics.

Sources & references

98 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level

motie.go.kriea.orgmofa.go.krmolit.go.krkier.re.krelaw.klri.re.krgiihu.go.krkosha.or.krkorea.krlaw.go.krh2station.or.krkhia.or.krdata.go.krh2bus.or.krkaia.or.krkoreaexim.go.krh2trucks.or.krbp.comnews.lgchem.comskeconplant.comhyphen-h2.com.auposco.comhanwha.comhyundai.comautos.hindustantimes.comkofia.or.krkesis.go.krkeei.re.krgastechnology.or.krscopus.comketep.re.krcomtradeplus.un.orgenergiestrom.dekogas.or.krskes.co.krkhnp.co.krkita.orgg2b.go.krkoreaetnews.comtradestats.motie.go.krkdb.co.krsamsung.comglobal.toyotaosti.govmdpi.comiso.orgjejuhydrogen.or.krgasnews.comklri.re.krkia.comfueleconomy.govsciencedirect.comh2best.comnature.comirena.org

+43 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)