Displeasure in China over the term 'Chinese Yellow Dust'... Korea Meteorological Administration Chief says "Yellow Dust is a natural phenomenon"

This year, the sixth large-scale yellow dust storm has already covered Beijing, China. This spring's yellow dust was so large that it was called the 'worst yellow dust,' and it was reported to have been observed not only in Korea but also throughout Japan and even in Hawaii. There is still a possibility of additional yellow dust outbreaks in the future. Last winter, the Gobi Desert, Inner Mongolia, and Manchuria regions, which are the sources of yellow dust, received less snow than usual, and with the land being dry and temperatures rising, conditions became favorable for yellow dust to occur.

However, the Chinese government maintains that the cause of the yellow dust is not China. The Chinese government claims that it is making efforts to prevent desertification and has achieved related results. Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular briefing on the 13th, "China donates funds annually to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and simultaneously expands cooperation in the Northeast Asia region while actively sharing yellow dust information," adding, "We will continue to do our best to contribute to the prevention and management of yellow dust."

On the 11th, when a yellow dust warning was issued in Beijing, a citizen is riding a bicycle wearing a dust mask. According to the Beijing Environmental Protection Monitoring Center, at 8 a.m. that day, the Air Quality Index (AQI) across Beijing recorded the worst level 6, classified as 'Severe Pollution.' Photo by AP Yonhap News

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China has also expressed displeasure at the term 'China-origin yellow dust.' The Chinese state-run Global Times claimed on the 16th that the source of the yellow dust is Mongolia, not China, and argued that China is also a victim. The state-run Global Times also pointed out that Korea is shifting the responsibility for meteorological issues onto the Chinese government.

In this regard, Yoo Hee-dong, head of the Korea Meteorological Administration, explained that both the claim that the yellow dust is 'China-origin' and the Chinese side's claim that it is not have valid points. On the 20th, on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' he said, "If we simply follow the physical path, saying it is China-origin is not wrong," and explained, "There is the Gobi Desert and the Mongolian part, but there is also territory on the Chinese side. While there is the Mongolian side, there are also sources in Inner Mongolia and Manchuria, which are Chinese territories."

On the 24th, yellow dust originating from China covered the city center viewed from Namsan in Seoul, accompanied by fine dust. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

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Yoo said, "However, if we talk about blame or cause based on the fact that yellow dust itself is bad, it is a bit unreasonable to place full responsibility on China," adding, "Because yellow dust is somewhat different from fine dust or other man-made substances and pollutants. It is a kind of natural phenomenon." He continued, "(Yellow dust) is a phenomenon like the atmosphere flowing and low pressure coming, so saying that yellow dust itself is 'China-origin' as a cause because of 'something caused by China' is a bit unreasonable," and said, "We need to think about it separately."

Yoo explained that although the unusually frequent yellow dust occurrences this spring are not entirely due to climate change, they are partly influenced by it. He said, "We cannot say 100% that it is directly related to climate change or global warming," but added, "Uncomfortable weather conditions like yellow dust and dangerous weather conditions can occur more frequently due to climate change, global warming, and the climate crisis."

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