Both Korea and China Reduce Fine Dust by Over 25% Compared to Five Years Ago

Korea-China Environmental Authorities Jointly Announce Measures to Address Fine Dust

Compared to 2015, PM2.5 Concentration in 2020 Decreased by 27% in Korea and 28% in China
Korea and China to Reduce Emissions Independently and Strengthen Mutual Cooperation

Yearly and Monthly Proportion (%) of Ultrafine Dust Concentration Levels in Korea

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] Last year, the concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in Korea and China was found to have decreased by more than 25% compared to five years ago.

On the 10th, the Korean Ministry of Environment and the Chinese Ministry of Ecology and Environment jointly released a report titled "Status of Fine Dust Response and Continuous Cooperation Plans between the Two Countries." This joint announcement was prepared over about three months following initial discussions at the "Korea-China Seasonal Management Exchange Meeting" held on November 13 last year.

First, Korea's nationwide PM2.5 concentration in 2020 was 19㎍/㎥, showing an improvement of approximately 26.9% compared to 26㎍/㎥ in 2015, when nationwide PM2.5 monitoring began. The number of days with PM2.5 levels classified as "bad" or worse (36㎍/㎥ or higher) nationwide in 2020 was 27 days, a decrease of about 56% compared to 62 days in 2015. The number of "good" days (15㎍/㎥ or below) was 154 days, marking the clearest year since observations began.

In China, the average PM2.5 concentration across 337 cities in 2020 was 33㎍/㎥, down 8.3% from 36㎍/㎥ in the previous year and 28.3% from 46㎍/㎥ in 2015. The average proportion of "excellent" air quality days (PM2.5 75㎍/㎥ or below) among these 337 cities in 2020 was 87.0%, an increase of 5.0 percentage points from the previous year and 5.8 percentage points from 2015.

Under the Moon Jae-in administration, Korea implemented comprehensive fine dust management measures including the "Comprehensive Fine Dust Management Plan" (established in September 2017), the "Emergency and Regular Fine Dust Management Strengthening Plan" (established in November 2018), and the "Comprehensive Fine Dust Management Plan (2020?2024)" (established in November 2019). These efforts yielded notable results in reducing emissions from large-scale industrial sites, coal-fired power plants, and Grade 5 emission vehicles.

Specifically, the total emissions of air pollutants related to PM2.5 from 635 large industrial sites equipped with the Telemetry Monitoring System (TMS) in December 2020 amounted to 13,518 tons, representing about a 32% decrease compared to 19,894 tons in December 2018. The Ministry of Environment evaluated this as a result of strengthened government emission standards and proactive, voluntary participation by large industrial sites in reducing air pollutant emissions.

Emissions from coal-fired power plants also significantly decreased. The total PM2.5-related air pollutant emissions from 60 coal-fired power plants nationwide (58 plants as of 2021) in December 2020 were 3,527 tons, about a 60% reduction compared to 8,781 tons in December 2018.

The number of Grade 5 emission vehicles has also sharply declined. As of the end of December last year, approximately 1.347 million Grade 5 emission vehicles without low-emission measures (such as diesel particulate filters) remained, down about 1 million vehicles (43% decrease) from 2.354 million at the end of December 2018.

The Chinese government clearly outlined the overall context, basic goals, and key tasks of air pollution prevention in the "Ten Measures for Air" announced in 2013 and the "Three-Year Action Plan for Blue Sky Defense" announced in 2018, establishing a roadmap for the Blue Sky Defense. Through these efforts, steel production capacity was reduced by about 200 million tons, 140 million tons of inferior steel (low-grade steel) were completely phased out, and ultra-low emission retrofits were completed for coal-fired power plants and the steel industry, totaling 890 million kW as of the end of 2019. Additionally, comprehensive management of coal boilers led to the closure of small-scale coal facilities, energy savings, and ultra-low emission retrofits. Focused management of scattered coal in the Jing-Jin-Ji region and surrounding areas, as well as the Fenwei Plain, eliminated scattered coal use in about 25 million households.

Minister of Environment Han Jeong-ae stated, "Korea will boldly implement all possible policies to make blue skies and clean air a daily reality." She added, "This joint announcement symbolically demonstrates the cooperative relationship between Korea and China in responding to fine dust. Moving forward, we will further strengthen cooperation with neighboring countries, including China, to fundamentally resolve the fine dust problem in Northeast Asia."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.