Fine dust blown in from China ingulfs Korea

It has been smoggy days here in Seoul for few days now, with a fine dust warning being issued in Seoul on Thursday, as fine and ultrafine dust particles originating from wintertime coal use in China.

Thick smog has been hanging over the skyline of the capital Seoul since Monday, sending sales of face masks soaring in Nov. 4-Dec. 3 to 13 times what they were in the same period a last year.
The use of dust masks at construction sites jumped 114 percent.

The government is planning to introduce a national fine dust alert system from 2015, to inform citizens about health risks caused by air pollution.

The Chinese government has recently shown signs of taking the issue seriously as well, a big step for a country that has refused for years to acknowledge the problem.

In September, the Chinese government announced targets to cut coal consumption and it has been carrying out research into alternative energy, public transportation systems and electric cars.

Citizens wearing masks walk under a billboard sign in Taepyeong-ro, Seoul, displaying warnings against doing outdoor activities due to the increased concentration of fine dust particles. Wednesday. The National Institute of Environmental Research said the atmospheric concentration of fine particles in the Gangseo District, was measured at 198 micrograms per cubic meter at 1 p.m., almost double the normal 100.

Living in Seoul, it is very difficult to keep your house clean with this fine black dust settles over every flat surface!

To make matters worse, each year in March and April, sandstorms from Mongolia blow into Seoul reducing visibility tremendously.

"We recommend people to wear face masks when there are fine dust warnings in korea,” said Lim Young-wook, assistant director of the Institute for Environmental Research at Yonsei University’s College of Medicine.