Yellow dust blankets Korea as warnings to 'stay indoors' are issued
![While yellow dust blown from China and Mongolia is smothering Korea, people enjoy the pendulum spinning ride at an amusement park in Daegu on Wednesday. The city’s fine dust concentration reached 205 micrograms per cubic meter as of 5 p.m. on the same day, with its air quality level reaching the “very bad” level. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2024/04/18/77ec04de-213c-4670-bccb-c92d133d0926.jpg)
While yellow dust blown from China and Mongolia is smothering Korea, people enjoy the pendulum spinning ride at an amusement park in Daegu on Wednesday. The city’s fine dust concentration reached 205 micrograms per cubic meter as of 5 p.m. on the same day, with its air quality level reaching the “very bad” level. [YONHAP]
Dust particle concentration levels in Gangwon, Daegu, Sejong, Ulsan, North Gyeongsang and North Jeolla exceeded 100 micrograms per cubic meter as of 7 a.m. on Wednesday.
Such levels are more than two times higher than the average concentration level.
The state-run Korea Environment Corporation announced that fine dust advisories and warnings are in effect in Gyeonggi, Gangwon, North Chungcheong and North Gyeongsang.
Weather authorities said that patients with respiratory syndromes and older adults in areas with air quality warnings are advised to stay indoors.
The National Institute of Environmental Research predicts that fine dust levels across the nation will remain at a “bad” level throughout Wednesday.
The authority speculates that Gangwon and the southeastern part of the country will temporarily experience a “very bad” level of fine dust concentration on the same day.
Korean weather authorities categorize concentrations of fine dust PM 10 between zero and 30 micrograms as "good," between 31 and 80 as "normal," between 81 and 150 as "bad" and more than 151 as "very bad." PM10 are dust particles with diameters less than 10 micrometers.
The high pressure above the Shandong Peninsula in China is creating northwesterly winds. These winds are likely to continue until Thursday and carry dust particles and pollutants to Korea.
The atmospheric dust will remain in southeastern regions and Gangwon regions until Thursday. Other regions will see improving air quality from Thursday.
Weather authorities anticipate that the country will experience further springtime yellow dust in the coming months.
BY LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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