On January 17th, the government announced its first monthly results from implementation of the fine dust seasonal management system, which began on December 1st, 2019.

The system aims to strengthen fine dust reduction and public health protection from December to March, the period in which a high concentration of fine dust is expected. The government planned the implementation of the management system and set relevant tasks (28 in total, attached below) during the 3rd Special Fine Dust Control Committee on November 1st, 2019. Periodic maintenance and management against fine dust began in December 2019, in accordance with the system. 

Although each government agency carried out the tasks of the management system flawlessly during last December, the amendment of the Fine Dust Act is being delayed. The amendment should be accelerated since it will provide a basis for the restriction on class 5 vehicles in the Seoul Capital Area.

Meanwhile, the weather conditions during last December were unfavorable for the management of fine dust, due to the decreased average wind velocity and an increased number of days displaying atmospheric congestion.

※ Average national wind velocity in December: 2.2 m/s for 2016, 2017, and 2018 → 2.0 m/s for 2019

Number of days with national wind velocity of less than 2 m/s: 18 days (2016) → 13 days (2017) → 14 days (2018) → 19 days (2019)

However, measures implemented to reduce fine dust emission were found effective in many sectors, including business sites, power plants, and port and marine transport.

The government is planning to analyze and provide quantitative data on the reduction in fine dust concentration after implementation of the seasonal management system by constructing a model that encompasses the amount of domestic fine dust reduction, fine dust inflow from overseas, and weather conditions.

The following are detailed results from the fine dust seasonal management system implemented in December 2019:

< Fine dust reduction measures for the sectors of coal-fired power generation, business sites, and port and marine transport >

The reduction of coal-fired power generation and the voluntary reduction of fine dust emission in large business sites began last December.

According to the demand on electricity, from eight up to twelve coal-fired power plants stopped operation, and up to 49 plants limited the maximum output to 80% in December.

※ Reference: 'Electricity supply and demand management in winter and on-site inspection for coal power generation reduction' (Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy press release dated December 31st, 2019)

111 large business sites nationwide signed a voluntary fine dust reduction agreement with the Ministry of Environment on December 3rd and 10th, 2019. The business sites are implementing measures to optimize their operation and reduce air pollutant emissions, including adding catalysts to eliminate nitrogen oxide.

※ Reference: 'Industry leads the way in reducing high concentrations of seasonal fine dust', etc. (Ministry of Environment press release dated December 3rd, 10th, and 29th, 2019)

In addition, port and marine transport sectors designated low sailing speed zones and started an early transition to low sulfur fuels for ocean-going vessels.

Five ports (Busan, Ulsan, Yeosu, Gwangyang, and Incheon) were designated as low sailing speed zones from last December, and the ocean-going vessels belonged to the Korea Shipowners' Association (about 50% of the entire ocean-going vessels) started to use low sulfur fuels (sulfur content: 3.5% → 0.5%) a month earlier than planned (January 2020 → December 2019, cooperated with the Korea Shipowners' Association).

< Fortification of support to and surveillance on business sites >

The Ministry of Environment actively induced air pollutant reduction from business sites by fortifying both the surveillance of and punishment for illegal emissions, as well as adding support for the installation of fine dust prevention facilities on small-scale business sites.

The Ministry conducted a special nationwide surveillance on 247 business sites that expected a high level of air pollutant emissions, and identified 59 violation cases using cutting edge devices (including drones, mobile measurement vehicles, and airships) with the National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER), an affiliate of the Ministry, and eight Environmental Offices in last December. 

With 670 members of public and private joint inspection groups operated by city and county governments, we inspected 2,600 business sites and 4,500 construction sites in the same period and imposed administrative penalties on 14 sites and fines on 41 sites.

Furthermore, we implemented a supporting project for fine dust prevention facility installation (covered 90% by central and local government expenditures and 10% by each business site) for 1,961 small-scale business sites (accumulated data as of the end of 2019).

< alternative-day-no-driving system for the vehicles of public organizations and restriction on class 5 vehicles >

From last December, the government is implementing an alternative-day-no-driving system for the vehicles of national and public organizations (about 10,000 organizations, 600,000 vehicles) in the Seoul Capital Area and six metropolitan cities (Busan, Daegu, Gwangju, Daejeon, Ulsan, and Sejong).

In addition, although they are not targets of the mandatory implementation, courts in the Seoul Capital Area and five metropolitan cities (Sejong has no court) voluntarily joined the scheme from January 2nd, 2020.

Meanwhile, the restriction on class 5 vehicles, which was planned to be implemented starting from February 2020, will be postponed for a little while due to delay of the necessary legislation.

The bill for the amendment of the Fine Dust Act to create a legal basis for the restriction on class 5 vehicles was initially proposed on August 23rd, 2019 and passed by the Environment and Labor Committee, the committee in charge of passing the bill at the National Assembly, on December 16th, 2020. However, the bill is still being held by the Legislation and Judiciary Committee.

Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi Province governments are already creating the relevant ordinances and waiting for a swift amendment of the act.

※ (Proposal of the ordinances) Seoul: October 16, 2019 / Incheon: December 30th, 2019 / Gyeonggi Province: January 9th, 2020 (planned date) 

< Fine dust reduction in daily life >

The government is also implementing tasks to reduce fine dust emission in sectors related to our daily lives, including roads, farming areas, and buildings.

In December 2019, we implemented policies to minimize the generation of fine dust from roads. We designated 300 roads in 17 cities and provinces nationwide (1,732 km long in total) as intensive management roads and increased the amount of road cleaning (once per day → two to four times per day).

Also, the government designated last December as the intensive farming waste collection period and collected 5,896 tons of farming waste and 11.8 tons of empty pesticide bottles. In 623 towns nationwide, we promoted the "Making Beautiful Farming Villages Together Campaign" with farmers and Nonghyup to process farming waste and other by-products in farming areas.

Meanwhile, the government is inspecting 57 public organizations for maintenance of the adequate indoor heating temperature during winter (18℃), and inducing 18 major commercial districts nationwide (2,902 shops), including Gangnam in Seoul and Seomyeon in Busan, to minimize the custom of keeping doors open while heating is on. 

※ (As of December 2019) 5.3% of public organizations violated the guidance for adequate temperature, and 5.4% of shops violated the guidance for door closing.

< Protective measures for public health >

Nationwide, 94.3% of kindergartens, elementary school and special school classrooms and 80.8% of middle and high school classrooms have completed the installation of air cleaners. The remaining classrooms will finish the installation during their winter break season. 

Additionally, we provided air cleaners for social welfare facilities* and inspected 15% of day care centers nationwide, which have already installed air cleaners, to verify the implementation status of the manual for the high concentration of fine dust.

* Comparing to the goals set with supplementary budget, 100% of facilities for disabled people, 100% of local self-support centers, 99.1% of local children's centers, and 93.4% of elderly nursing facilities installed air cleaners (as of the end of December 19th)

** 98% of day care centers nationwide have installed air cleaners (the remaining 2% will likely be closed or will install mechanical air cleaning equipment) (surveyed in March 2019)

The air quality inside multiuse facilities, including elderly care facilities and underground stations, were intensively inspected.

During the seasonal management period, we inspected 1,657 facilities (28%) among the 6,000 inspection targets in last December, and imposed fines or on-site administrative guidance for inadequate management (34 facilities, 2.0%).

The government also provided masks to people sensitive and vulnerable to fine dust, including lower-income families, outdoor workers of small business sites, farmers and fishermen.

Finally, we started to provide more information related to fine dust, including real-time monitoring data of the telemonitoring systems (TMS) in large business sites, on the air environment information website of the Ministry of Environment (www.AirKorea.or.kr) starting from last December.

By providing extra information, we are trying to raise people's awareness of fine dust issues and induce voluntary reduction in businesses.

< Extended provision of information for the people >

Meanwhile, we started to provide more information related to fine dust, including real-time monitoring data of the telemonitoring systems (TMS) in large business sites, on the air environment information website of the Ministry of Environment (www.AirKorea.or.kr) starting from last December.

By providing extra information, we are satisfying people's right to know, as well as trying to raise people's awareness of fine dust issues and induce voluntary reductions in businesses.

< Cooperation with China >

Along with the implementation of the fine dust seasonal management system, the government is reinforcing the projects for the cooperation with China as well.

The two countries started to exchange air quality forecast information through a designated communication line from December 27th, 2019. It is expected that the information from China can improve the accuracy of high concentration fine dust forecasts in Korea. 

Furthermore, an information-sharing studio was established on December 5th, 2019 in Korea-China Environmental Cooperation Center in Beijing. The studio will provide videos of various activities for the cooperation between Korea and China, including the status of implanting seasonal management systems in both countries.

In the meantime, the Ministries of Environment of both countries agreed to hold 'Blue Sky Conference' in Seoul in early March this year to discuss the details for the implementation of the 'MOU on the Blue Sky Project*', which was signed in November 2019, and share the current status of implanting seasonal management systems in both countries.

* (Key contents) ① Exchange of air pollution prevention policies and technologies, ② Exchange of vehicle emissions control policies, ③ Exchange of air quality forecast information and forecast technologies, ④ Joint research on observation and numerical modeling, ⑤ cooperation in environmental technologies and industries, and ⑥ Hosting the Air Environment Industry Expo

< Best practices of local governments >

The following are noticeable projects of local governments being implemented in line with the fine dust seasonal management system in each city and province from December of last year:

From December 1st, 2019, Seoul Metropolitan city has been actively imposing the restriction on the operation of class 5 vehicles inside the Green Transportation Promotion Zone* to induce the installation of diesel particulate filters (DPF) and scrapping of old diesel cars. 

* 16.7㎢ within Hanyang Dosung (Fortress Wall of Seoul), 15 dongs (8 in Jongno-gu, 7 in Jung-gu) / pilot project started from July 1st, 2019, and became a regular policy from December 1st, 2019 (effective every day, 06:00 ? 21:00)

Incheon Metropolitan City, and South and North Chungcheong Provinces are implementing Mandatory Road Cleaning Policy', in which inducing large-scale pollutant emitters and construction companies to clean the roads around their business sites voluntarily.

※ (Incheon) 128 companies, including construction companies and their subcontractors, participated in the cleaning of 239km long roads in landfill sites and other areas

※ (Chungcheong) Large-scale construction sites and cement companies in Cheonan and Danyang cleaned the roads around them

Ulsan city government signed a business agreement with eight financial institutions to designate their 309 branch offices with air-conditioning and heating facilities as fine dust, cold and heat wave shelters. Signposts are distributed to the shelters.

* Signing the agreement (December 2nd), distributing the signposts (December 13th), and operation as shelters (from December to March)

< Closing >

"We will do our best to make the most out of the fine dust seasonal management system so that everyone can enjoy tangible results," stated Minister Cho.

"We would like to ask everyone to actively participate in this new system, based on the shared awareness that we all are both victims and fixers of the fine dust problem." 

"We would also like to request the National Assembly to finish the process for the amendment of the Fine Dust Act as soon as possible, which will be the basis for the restriction on the operation of class 5 vehicles," he added.