ThanksLetter #5. Korean Government Joins Thanks Carbon-KOEN Partnership in Cambodia Rice Methane Project
Plus Global Validation: Gold Standard and Busan World Bank Forums Confirm Our Strategic Direction
2025-10-01
Welcome to our June ThanksLetter!
This month has been particularly meaningful for Thanks Carbon.
In Cambodia, our selection for the KOTRA (Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency) International Reduction Support Program has enabled AWD expansion across 30,000 hectares, with scope to reach 42,000 hectares. This program is operated by Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
The Cambodia rice methane reduction project that Thanks Carbon has been pioneering together with Korea South-East Power (KOEN) now has the Korean government joining through KOTRA’s feasibility study support. With this official government backing, the Cambodia project now brings together crucial stakeholders. Looking ahead, Thanks Carbon will continue expanding sustainable agriculture with more farmers across larger areas, and we welcome additional companies and institutions to join us. We’re opening opportunities for those who want to advance greenhouse gas reduction and sustainable agriculture growth.
Additionally, the Korean government feasibility study for our Vietnam Kien Giang project successfully concluded with positive results, opening the path for 51,600-hectare scale implementation.
Building on these achievements, we participated in the Gold Standard Conference in Paris and the Korea-World Bank Partnership Facility (KWPF) Forum in Busan, confirming that our high-integrity approach perfectly aligns with global carbon market directions. We are now seeking corporate partners to join us in this large-scale reduction initiative.
Quick Summary
- Direction Confirmation: Validated at the Gold Standard Conference that Thanks Carbon’s high-integrity approach perfectly aligns with core trends in the global carbon market
- International Stage Presentation: Presented AWD technology and farmer engagement strategies as a leading Korean agri-tech company at KWPF 2025, jointly hosted by Korea’s Ministry of Economy and Finance and the World Bank
- Project Foundation Secured: Completed feasibility studies and secured government support in Vietnam and Cambodia, preparing for large-scale implementation
Gold Standard Conference: Validating New Standards
The Gold Standard Conference held in Paris on June 5-6 clearly demonstrated the new direction of carbon markets. Among the 150 global experts gathered, the most frequently mentioned keywords were ‘Integrity’, ‘Transparency’, and ‘Nature-Climate Integration’. The specific methods for realizing these principles were High-Quality Credits and Nature-based Solutions.
What was particularly impressive about Gold Standard CEO Margaret Kim’s presentation was that the definition of integrity is expanding. Accurate carbon accounting alone is no longer sufficient.
True integrity means:
- Real Results: Better livelihoods, healthier ecosystems, progress on SDG goals
- Community-Centered Design: The failure of bringing solutions and imposing them unilaterally
- Permanence: Long-term sustainability that’s impossible without people
Livelihoods Venture CEO Eric Soubeiran posed an important question: “What has nature done for us today?” His message was clear: climate solutions must go beyond simple carbon reduction to create ecosystem restoration, community support, and lasting impact.
Core principles emphasized at the conference:
- Shock of Transparency: The responsibility to face supply chains as they are, not as we wish them to be
- Shock of Materiality: Focus on the most important and impactful points for businesses
- Shock of Time: The need for long-term perspectives, as nature doesn’t operate on quarterly results
These principles align precisely with the direction Thanks Carbon has pursued from the beginning. Our AWD projects take an integrated approach that simultaneously achieves methane reduction, soil health improvement, water management efficiency enhancement, and farmer income improvement.
Digital MRV and Transparency: Where Thanks Carbon Leads
Throughout the conference, the importance of digital MRV was repeatedly mentioned. With investors and project developers anxious about not being able to transparently see progress, the need for thorough monitoring and reliable verification systems was emphasized.
The system Thanks Carbon has built—an MRV platform combining satellite imagery, AI-based modeling, and field verification—represents exactly the transparency and reliability elements the market demands. Several investors we met at the conference expressed strong interest in our digital MRV approach.
One thing became clear through the conference: The high-integrity credits Thanks Carbon is developing perfectly align with what the global market demands. We’re not simply counting carbon, but providing real help to farming communities, enhancing transparency through scientific verification systems, and implementing sustainable agricultural transitions—realizing true climate action.
Korea-World Bank Partnership Facility Forum: Agricultural Technology Leadership Recognized
The Korea-World Bank Partnership Facility (KWPF) 2025 held in Busan on May 27 was another meaningful stage for Thanks Carbon. We were invited as one of Korea’s leading agricultural technology companies to this forum themed ‘Innovation in Agriculture and Food Security,’ presenting our technology and approach on the international stage.
AWD Technology Presentation That Drew International Attention
Our founder Doobyung Park (Cooper) presented our work on climate-resilient agriculture in Southeast Asia to panel sessions attended by World Bank Development Finance teams, Agriculture and Food teams, and government representatives from seven countries.
Cooper also explained the specific mechanisms of AWD (Alternate Wetting and Drying) technology—water management methods, regional applications, and productivity maintenance. The central focus was on realistic approaches to farmer engagement. Recognizing that “farmers and fishermen share the trait of only trusting their own experience,” we built a reward system centered on economics rather than meaning:
Production Cost Reduction:
- Fertilizer discounts (within nationally recommended usage levels)
- Seed usage savings through drone seeding
- Support for maintaining farmers’ existing fertilizer brand preferences
Premium Sales Support:
- Sales at higher prices than conventional through low-carbon certification
- Low-carbon rice marketing support through the ‘Cool Me'(cool rice) brand
- Buyer connection services
As a result of this approach, we shared with KWPF participants that over 80% of farmers agreed to AWD transition in demand surveys.
At this forum, we showcased diverse approaches in Korean agricultural technology alongside Sherpa Space, Daedong, and ioCrops. Together with companies possessing innovative technologies in satellite technology, agricultural machinery, IoT solutions, and carbon reduction respectively, we demonstrated the global competitiveness of Korean agricultural technology.
Even after the session, specific discussions continued with World Bank global leads about potential areas for future collaboration. There was particularly high interest in climate-smart agriculture expansion in developing countries and sustainable agricultural transition models through carbon finance.
Our Future Aligned with Global Trends
Through our experiences in Paris and Busan, we confirmed that the direction Thanks Carbon pursues perfectly aligns with mainstream trends in global carbon markets and agricultural innovation. Integrity, transparency, community-centered design, and real impact—all these elements are values we’ve prioritized from the beginning.
More importantly, we now have the foundation to implement this approach at scale. With secured government support in Vietnam and Cambodia, implementation of AWD projects across across wide-ranging agricultural landscapes is now possible.
We await corporate partners who pursue meaningful climate action and business value simultaneously. If your company wants to achieve carbon neutrality goals through high-quality carbon credits while creating real change in agricultural communities, please contact us at any time.
That’s all for this month’s edition of ThanksLetter!
We’re excited to share more updates with you in the coming months as we continue to grow and collaborate on climate solutions. In the meantime, feel free to connect with us through our website or social channels. See you in July!
Join us in making a difference
Interested in partnering with Thanks Carbon to drive climate solutions? Reach out to us here → to explore collaboration opportunities.
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