Substantial Part of Fine Dust Pollution Blamed on China

The government on Wednesday claimed that anywhere between 30 and 80 percent of fine dust pollution in Korea comes from overseas, mostly from China.

Analysis of ultrafine dust concentration from 2012 to 2016 showed that some 30 percent of particles originated from China on days when the concentration level was 20㎍/㎥ or lower, and 50 percent on days when it was 50㎍/㎥ or higher, the government said.

Pollution from China was particularly high between November and April and relatively low between June and August.

Some 3.89㎍/㎥, or 14.7 percent, of the annual average concentration level of ultrafine dust (26㎍/㎥) in the Seoul metropolitan originated from North Korea in 2016. But about 45 percent was generated in the country itself. The worst polluted area was North Gyeongsang Province and the least Jeju Island.

Fine-dust pollution was the worst in August at 62 percent and the lowest in February at 30 percent.

Meanwhile, the government said it has retrofitted an aircraft to measure and identify pollutants and it will start operating this month. It will fly over the West Sea to track the routes of toxic smog.