SEOUL: South Korea announced its first greenhouse gas reduction target yesterday, pledging to cut emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases by 4 percent below 2005 levels by 2020.

The announcement came amid dimming prospects for a new global climate change pact at next month's UN conference in Copenhagen. South Korea is not among countries that must cut emissions under the existing Kyoto Protocol, and yesterday's voluntary target-setting could put pressure on developed nations to act more aggressively to fight global warming.

On Sunday, US President Barack Obama and other leaders at an Asia-Pacific summit affirmed the growing consensus that the December deadline set two years ago for a completed climate accord is out of reach, and reset the goal for Copenhagen as striking a political deal.