South Korea on Thursday ratified the Paris Agreement and became the eighth country to endorse the international accord on reducing greenhouse gases among the world's top 10 emitters, the Foreign Ministry said.
The move came just one day before the international treaty officially enters into force after its adoption by 195 countries in December 2015, Yonhap news reported.
South Korea -- the ninth most polluting nation in the world -- voted to adhere to the pact in a special session, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
"Through the latest ratification of the Paris Agreement, the South Korean government, as a member of the new climate regime, will effectively react to climate change issues and proactively take part in the international community's effort to handle the matter," the statement added.
A total of 92 countries have now ratified the climate pact, including eight - out of the 10 - most polluting nations, Efe news reported.
China is one of the world's largest greenhouse emitting countries, followed by the US and Russia.
The Paris Agreement to fight climate change will enter into force Friday, barely 11 months after it was adopted in Paris in December last year by 195 countries and the European Union.
The Paris Agreement is supposed to replace the Kyoto Protocol in 2020 and aims to contain the average increase in global temperatures to below two degrees centigrade with respect to preindustrial levels.
--IANS
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