• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.71-82
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• 2016

A fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) could be an alternative solution to gasoline powered vehicles. The Korean and Japanese governments have played the midwifery role in the development of the FCEV industry. This study explores the difference in policy goals for FCEV between the two countries. Koreans recognized that FCEV was innovative technology and put forward the notion of technology pre-occupancy. Whereas, the Japanese government discovered that FCEV was one way to apply hydrogen mechanisms, so they identified the supply of hydrogen as one of the industries of interest, and have played the demiurge role. This study suggests that the role of government is to introduce eco-friendly vehicles, using the cases of Korean and Japanese governments, who introduced FCEV to the world first.