President Lee Myung-bak said Monday that South Koreans should be more focused on "green" way of life, urging them to choose an eco-friendly way of living amid global climate change.

"There is something more important than green technology, and that is a green way of life," Lee said in his biweekly national radio address, adding that it is easier for individuals to change into a "green" life than to develop green technology in terms of time and money.

President Lee said such individual efforts can save around US$ 1 billion if the country as a whole reduces the energy use by 10 percent, considering the country depends on imports for virtually 100 percent of its energy needs.

The president also recommended his people to turn to public transportation, highlighting that a vehicle on a round trip between the capital Seoul and southern port city Busan emits 200 kg of carbon-dioxide gas.

Noting that South Korea was selected as a leader country in "Smart Grid," one of future green technologies, at the 2008 G8 Extended Summit, President Lee vowed that his government would further push for a detailed greenhouse gas mitigation strategy.

Last week, South Korea's Presidential Committee on Green Growth announced three mitigation scenarios to meet its 2020 midterm greenhouse gas mitigation target.

Among the three proposed options, South Korea will choose one as its climate change combat strategy, taking into account expert reviews and researches, along with the progress of the national consensus-building process, the committee said.

(Xinhua News Agency August 10, 2009)