Seoul, Beijing agree to set up early fine-dust warning system

South Korea and China have agreed to establish an “early warning system for fine dust” for the exchange of data on air quality and forecasting technologies.

According to the South Korean government on Thursday, the two countries have agreed to build an expert council under the joint committee of environmental cooperation to hash out detailed solutions to mitigate fine dust.

Once put in place, the early warning system is expected to increase the accuracy of forecasts and issue warnings more quickly in the event high-density fine dust breaks out. On Thursday morning, the Chinese delegation visited Seoul’s weather bureau and took a glimpse around South Korea’s meteorology system. The details of the early warning system will be unveiled during the environment ministerial meeting among South Korea, China, and Japan.

In addition, China has agreed to disclose the summary report on studies of the Long-range Transboundary Air Pollutants (LTP) in Northeast Asia. The disclosure of the report will enable Seoul to fathom how much damage the country is suffering the fine dust flowing from China. Last year, the three countries were planning to disclose the report, but the plan was called off owing to China’s opposition. Then, China demanded that the data should be revised, claiming that their data were outdated compared to South Korea and Japan.

Seoul and Beijing have also agreed to expand the “Blue Sky” program, a joint program introduced in 2017. The program is designed to track the traveling routes of air pollutants that are generated in major parts of China. Currently, the program is being operated in four areas such as Beijing, Baoding, Changdao, and Dalian, and under a new plan, two more – Tangshan and Shenyang – are added. The new additions will allow a more accurate monitoring on the traveling patterns of air pollutants blowing from China.


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