High Concentration of Fine Dust Forecasted 2 Days in Advance for Capital Area, Chungcheong, and Honam Regions

As forecasts predict that fine dust levels this winter will be higher than last year, the government has decided to strengthen its forecasting system.

The National Institute of Environmental Research under the Ministry of Environment announced on the 26th that starting from the 27th, the coverage area for the "PM-2.5 high concentration 2-day advance forecast" will be expanded from the Seoul metropolitan area to include the Chungcheong and Honam regions.

High concentration of fine dust refers to an average daily concentration exceeding 50㎍/㎥, and this early forecast system has been established to prevent health damage to the public and enhance response capabilities.

The early forecast for high concentrations of fine dust is currently conducted four times a day (05:00, 11:00, 17:00, 23:00) for the Seoul metropolitan area (Seoul, Incheon, northern Gyeonggi, southern Gyeonggi), producing and disclosing whether the daily average concentration exceeds 50㎍/㎥ in an ‘O/-’ format.

According to the phased expansion plan for target regions, starting from the 17:00 forecast the next day, the forecast information will be extended from the Seoul metropolitan area to include the Chungcheong and Honam regions, while the Gangwon, Yeongnam, and Jeju regions are scheduled to receive this service from November next year.

The early forecast for high concentrations of fine dust can be checked on 'Air Korea,' the nationwide air quality information website operated by the Ministry of Environment.

Myungsoo Yoo, head of the Climate and Atmospheric Research Division at the National Institute of Environmental Research, stated, "Since fine dust directly affects public health, we will continue to expand the provision of related information to strengthen response capabilities against high concentrations of fine dust and to enhance the public’s right to know."

On the 23rd, when the fine dust concentration in the metropolitan area was at the "Bad" level, the city center viewed from Yeouido, Seoul, was shrouded in fine dust. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

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