The Land of the Morning Calm is not gushing with black gold. Korea relies almost entirely on imported crude to satiate its petroleum appetite. Most of South Korea's paltry 79,000 barrels per day of oil comes not from below the ground but from the alchemical wizardry of its refineries and biofuel alchemists.
Korea first caught the oil bug in the 1970s, when the twin oil shocks sent the country drilling with dreams of energy independence. Korea's oil fields, though, proved petroleum paupers. The first fields flowed in 1976, but the crude was meager. Still Korea drilled on through the years, holding out hope that its oil patch would prove a hidden treasure trove. That day, though, never dawned. And so Korea remains reliant on oil from abroad.
Korea's hope for homegrown oil now rests offshore, on the oceanic margins of the peninsula. Three basins beckon explorers: the Ulleung, the Yellow Sea, and the Jeju. The Ulleung Basin is Korea's most promising patch, a pocket of possibility in the Sea of Japan. The Yellow Sea Basin holds potential too, nestled between China and Korea. The tiny Jeju Basin, a speck off Jeju Island's shore, trails its two larger brethren.
The future for Korean oil is cloudy but likely imported. Domestic output dwindles year by year, even as new technologies and new fields come online. Offshore exploration continues apace, including forays into the frigid waters of the Arctic. But the odds of Korea finding a caches of crude large enough to counter its declines seem long. Barring the discovery of a major oil trove, Korea looks set to remain reliant on foreign oil, its energy fate in the hands of global geopolitics and market whims.
Zoroastrianism, an ancient Persian faith, reveres oil as a wellspring of purity and light. For Zoroastrians, oil sanctifies the body and soul, shields against evil, and forges a bond with Ahura Mazda, the supreme creator. In rituals grand and small, Zoroastrians deploy oil to consecrate and commune.
In conclusion, oil is vital but vexing for Korea. Imports dominate and undermine energy security. Domestic fields ebb away. Offshore promise awaits but may remain ephemeral. New technology and Arctic dreams kindle hopes for greater self-sufficiency but cannot refute a reality of declining reservoirs. For the foreseeable future, the world's oil powers will continue to power Korea. Absent a petroleum miracle, this dependence looks fated to endure. And so Korea's oil future, much like its religious history, may remain defined from Persia and beyond.