Sejong, April 19 - The National Air Emission Inventory and Research Center (NAIR), an affiliate of the Ministry of Environment, calculated the country's air pollutant emissions in 2020 using revolutionary improved calculation methods. NAIR released information on recalculated past emissions from 2016 to 2019 following the guidelines on record management of emissions and recalculation.  

NAIR established a plan to improve the country's air pollutant emissions for 2020-2024 in December 2020 to calculate emissions accurately after being inspected on implementing fine particle management measures in August 2020 by the Board of Audit and Inspection. Based on the plan, NAIR identified omitted pollutants and conducted sophisticated research on the emissions of existing pollutants. 

Based on the research, NAIR improved 17 calculation methods, including removing repetitions for using anthracite for steel, and reflected in the emissions data for 2020. NAIR also recalculated emissions from 2016 to analyze the long-term emissions trends.

The recalculation results were passed at the 14th National Air Pollutant Emissions Information Management Committee in Seoul on April 5, securing objectivity and credibility on the recalculated data.

According to the recalculations, the amount of air pollutant emissions in 2020 reduced from 2016 due to the policies for improving air quality, including the Comprehensive Plans for Fine Dust Management. Ultrafine particles (PM-2.5) were reduced by 11,000 tons (16.1%), sulfur oxides (SOx) were reduced by 133,000 tons (42.5%), and nitrogen oxides (NOx) were reduced by 339,000 tons (26.8%).

<Recalculated Emissions from 2016-2020> (Unit: ton/year)

The recalculations will be announced in April 2023 on the NAIR website (air.go.kr). Subsequently, a report that explains the recalculation method and results will be released in June to help the public understand the mechanism.

Yang Hanna, Head of NAIR, stated, "The 2020 national air pollutant emissions data are much more accurate as they reflect research conducted to improve the emissions calculations." Yang added, "By recalculating past emission amounts with the revised method, we have secured consistency for annual emissions." Yang further stated, "We will continue to conduct scientific research to improve air pollutant emissions and actively communicate with various experts in the field of air environment to discover emissions that have been omitted."

Contact: Kim Hyung-cheon, Researcher

National Air Emission Inventory and Research Center / +82-(0)43-279-4570

Foreign Media Contact: Chun Minjo(Rachel)

+82-(0)44-201-6055 / rachelmchun@korea.kr