Seoul: A recent analysis by the National Institute of Environmental Research, conducted in collaboration with NASA, has revealed the true origins of Korea’s recurring ultrafine dust problem. Released last month, the study found that about 55 percent of Korea’s ultrafine particles, known as PM2.5, originates from China, while only 29 percent stems from domestic sources. These figures confirm what Koreans have long suspected: The hazy skies and hazardous air quality experienced throughout the year are not solely the result of local conditions but are significantly shaped by pollution that drifts across borders.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Korean government has set targets to cut ultrafine dust and its precursors by 2 percent this year, reduce total emissions to roughly 129,000 tons, and decrease national average PM2.5 levels from 20 to 19 micrograms per cubic meter. Meeting these targets demands stringent regulation, costly industrial adjustments, and sustained public cooperation. Korea is taking responsibility for what it can control.
However, domestic efforts will have limited impact if more than half of the pollutants originate from elsewhere. Korea cannot continually tighten its policies while dealing with the consequences of China’s industrial emissions. Unless China acts decisively, Korea will remain stuck in a cycle of increased spending, regulation, and sacrifice, only for its efforts to be undermined by external forces.
The government has stressed continued cooperation with China, including sharing daily forecast data, exchanging policy measures, and coordinating alerts during high-pollution episodes. While this collaboration is necessary, information sharing alone is insufficient. Korea must call for more than dialogue; it must demand accountability.
China has the responsibility and capacity to address the problem. It has shown the ability to clear skies for major international events and impose strict emissions controls when necessary. If China can clean its own skies for a summit, it can do more to prevent harmful particulates from affecting its neighbors.
Korea should elevate the issue to a matter of regional public health and environmental justice, demanding concrete action plans from China, including targeted emissions reductions from industrial zones affecting the Korean Peninsula. Transparent emissions data from China would enable Korea to evaluate pollution sources and trends independently.
Additionally, Korea should explore compensation or burden-sharing mechanisms, not as punitive measures but as recognition of the environmental, medical, and economic costs China’s pollution imposes on Korean citizens. If bilateral cooperation yields only incremental progress, it can pursue international environmental frameworks or legal avenues.
While confronting China may risk diplomatic tension, inaction carries a greater cost. Koreans spend vast sums on health care and protective measures, while vulnerable populations suffer disproportionately. The government cannot continue to ask its citizens to bear these burdens without addressing the primary external contributor.
The science is clear, and so is the moral imperative. When more than half of Korea’s PM2.5 originates from China, any solution that avoids addressing the source is partial at best and ineffective at worst. Korea must continue to improve its own environmental standards, but it must also assert that clean air is a right, not a diplomatic favor.
It is time to move beyond courtesy towards accountability and coordinated regional action. The health of the Korean people demands nothing less.