Southeast Region Takes on Fine Dust Research and Management... UNIST Opens Research Management Center

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Du-yeol] UNIST will hold an opening ceremony for the Southeast Region Fine Dust Research Management Center, which conducts tasks such as investigation, research, education, and technology development related to fine dust, on the 9th from 3 PM to 4 PM.

The event will be attended by Seo Jeong-wook, Deputy Mayor of Ulsan City; Lee Yong-hoon, President of UNIST; Kim Dong-jin, Director of the National Institute of Environmental Research; and Hong Dong-gon, Director of the Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office. The ceremony will proceed in the order of center introduction, plaque unveiling, and voluntary agreement ceremony for fine dust reduction.

The Fine Dust Research Management Center was established last September following a public selection by the Ministry of Environment under the "Special Act on the Reduction and Management of Fine Dust." It performs tasks such as investigation, research, education, and technology development aimed at preventing and managing health damage caused by fine dust in the Southeast Region management area.

The center aims to build a scientific foundation for air quality management that considers the industrial base and geographical characteristics of the Southeast Region.

Specifically, it will conduct full-scale research to ▲identify emission characteristics of air pollutants in the Southeast Region and build an emission volume database ▲establish and operate an air quality forecasting system for urban-scale areas ▲build a three-dimensional observation and chemical component monitoring system ▲clarify the impact of atmospheric dispersion according to geographical features such as coastal areas ▲conduct policy implementation evaluation and impact assessment support research.

Additionally, the center will establish the Southeast Region Fine Dust Big-Data Hub to share with related researchers and policymakers and will promote education and public relations projects.

UNIST Media Tower.

Seo Jeong-wook, Deputy Mayor of Ulsan City, said, “We expect the center to play a significant role in preventing health damage to the public from fine dust,” and added, “The cooperation between the Ministry of Environment and local governments in the Southeast Region is important, and Ulsan City will actively cooperate in the operation and research projects of the center.”

Kim Dong-jin, Director of the National Institute of Environmental Research, stated, “Public-private cooperation is very important to promote fine dust reduction measures considering the characteristics of the Southeast Region,” and requested, “For this, I ask UNIST’s Fine Dust Research Management Center to carry out its projects and serve as a policy feedback channel.”

Lee Yong-hoon, President of UNIST, said, “Since the causes of fine dust in the Southeast Region are very diverse, systematic research is necessary,” and promised, “We will provide wholehearted support so that the Southeast Region Fine Dust Research Management Center can successfully carry out its research tasks.”

Organized by UNIST, the center consists of three research teams, an information management team, and an office, with a total of about 50 professional researchers including eight professors and seven PhD-level researchers from UNIST and Pukyong National University.

To carry out related tasks, the center is scheduled to receive annual support of 460 million KRW from the Ministry of Environment and 230 million KRW from Ulsan City for three years.

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