Carbon dioxide is an important greenhouse gas and a major agent of climate change. This study quantified carbon (C) emissions from energy consumption and C storage and uptake by greenspace for three cities in middle Korea: Chuncheon, Kangleung, and Seoul. Carbon emissions were estimated using C emission coefficients for fossil fuels consumed. Carbon storage and uptake by woody plants were computed applying biomass equations and radial growth rates. The soils in Chuncheon were cored to analyze organic C storage. Annual C emissions were 37ร0 t/ha/yr in Kangleung, 47ร2 t/ha/yr in Chuncheon, and 264ร9 t/ha/yr in Seoul. Mean C storage by woody plants ranged from 26ร0 to 60ร1 t/ha for natural lands within the study cities, and from 4ร7 to 7ร2 t/ha for urban lands (all land use types except natural and agricultural lands). Mean annual C uptake by woody plants ranged from 1ร60 to 3ร91 t/ha/yr for natural lands within the cities, and from 0ร53 to 0ร80 t/ha/yr for urban lands. There were no significant differences (95% confidence level) between the cities in C storage and uptake per ha for urban lands. Organic C storage in Chuncheon soils (to a depth of 60 cm) averaged 31ร6 t/ha for natural lands and 24ร8 t/ha for urban lands. Woody plants stored an amount of C equivalent to 6ร0-59ร1% of total C emissions within the cities, and annually offset total C emissions by 0ร5-2ร2%. Carbon storage in soils was 1ร2 times greater than that by woody plants in Chuncheon. The C reduction benefits of woody plants were greater in Chuncheon and Kangleung, where areal distribution of natural lands was larger and the population density lower than in Seoul. Strategies to increase C storage and uptake by urban greenspace were explored.