# Despite Lee government's 'coal phase-out' pledge, coal imports surge 10.8% as LNG prices soar

> South Korea's coal imports rose 10.8% year on year to 101.2 million tonnes in January to October, while LNG imports fell 3.8% to 36.94 million tonnes. Coal's share of power generation rose above nuclear for the first time since 2023, and the Northeast Asian LNG spot price was about USD32/MMBtu, roughly triple its level at the start of the year.

- Date: 2026-11-15 · published 2026-11-15T09:11:49.630Z
- Category: macro · region South Korea · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/101032-despite-lee-government-s-coal-phase-out-pledge-coal-imports-surge-10-8-as-lng
- Commodities: [Natural Gas](https://feedsoft.ai/c/NATGAS.md)

## Why it matters

High LNG prices are pushing Korean power generators toward coal, which keeps energy-intensive feed and processing costs elevated. The shift also shows how the Middle East supply shock is raising energy costs across Asian importers.

## Read by commodity

- NATGAS: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| NATGAS | 2018-10-10 | [Prices Soar As Natural Gas Inventories Hit Decade Low \| OilPrice.com](https://feedsoft.ai/events/7399-prices-soar-as-natural-gas-inventories-hit-decade-low-oilprice-com.md) | -2.3% | +6.3% |
| NATGAS | 2021-11-08 | [As LNG prices surge, North American project development languishes \| Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/44232-as-lng-prices-surge-north-american-project-development-languishes-reuters.md) | -11.5% | -33.6% |
| NATGAS | 2021-11-15 | [Surging US LNG exports hike domestic gas prices amid global supply crunch \| S&P Global](https://feedsoft.ai/events/44231-surging-us-lng-exports-hike-domestic-gas-prices-amid-global-supply-crunch-s-and.md) | +2.1% | -19.7% |
| NATGAS | 2021-08-26 | [Asian gas importers brace for steep winter LNG prices \| S&P Global](https://feedsoft.ai/events/45734-asian-gas-importers-brace-for-steep-winter-lng-prices-s-and-p-global.md) | +14.4% | +25.1% |
| NATGAS | 2017-11-01 | [Australian domestic natural gas prices increase as LNG exports rise](https://feedsoft.ai/events/68639-australian-domestic-natural-gas-prices-increase-as-lng-exports-rise.md) | +8.5% | +3.8% |

## Sources

- biz.heraldcorp.com: https://biz.heraldcorp.com/article/10937391

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.