Innovation patterns in climate change mitigation technologies in Korea’s building sector: A cross-country comparison

The building sector is one of South Korea’s major sources of greenhouse gas emissions. This study analyzes systematic growth patterns and characteristics of technological innovation in greenhouse gas reduction technologies in this sector to derive policy implications for promoting innovation. Patent time-series data from 1990 to 2022 were constructed for climate change mitigation technologies in the building sector and its four constituent technology groups. A generalized logistic function was used to examine the dynamics of technological innovation. In addition, patent data from Japan, Canada, the United States, France, and Germany were analyzed to compare technological innovation characteristics with those of South Korea. The results indicated that, although Korea’s technologies generally exhibit high potential saturation levels of innovation, the activation of innovation has been delayed, and its growth rate remains relatively moderate compared with advanced countries. As of 2025, all analyzed countries appeared to be approaching their respective saturation points of innovation. To further reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the building sector, future policy measures should strengthen technological innovation systems to induce new innovation cycles centered on emerging technologies. The findings of this study provide valuable foundational evidence for developing future technology policies in the building sector.