Following Seoul, Gyeonggi and South Chungcheong, a yellow dust crisis alert at the "caution" level has been issued for Gangwon, Daejeon, North Chungcheong, North Jeolla and South Jeolla as well. Virtually the entire country is under the influence of yellow dust.
The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment issued a yellow dust crisis alert at the "caution" level for Gangwon (Yeongdong and Yeongseo), Daejeon, North Chungcheong, North Jeolla and South Jeolla at 4 p.m. on the 22nd. The move came as the average concentration of fine dust (PM-10) exceeded 300㎍/㎥ for more than two hours in Gangwon (northern Yeongseo and northern Yeongdong zones), Daejeon (eastern and western zones), North Chungcheong (central zone), North Jeolla (western, eastern and central zones) and South Jeolla (western zone). With the yellow dust crisis alert at the "caution" level issued, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment said it immediately relayed the situation to relevant agencies and the local governments concerned and requested a response in accordance with the "yellow dust disaster guide" (manual).
At 2 p.m. the same day, a yellow dust crisis alert at the caution level was issued for the Seoul and Gyeonggi regions, and at 3 p.m. for the South Chungcheong (western and northern zones) region. A fine dust advisory remains in effect for other parts of the greater Seoul area except for southern and eastern Gyeonggi.
Kim Jin-sik, director of the Air Environment Bureau at the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, said, "As yellow dust originating from the Gobi Desert and the Inner Mongolia Plateau has entered the Korean Peninsula and is affecting the entire country, people should refrain from outdoor activities as much as possible and pay extra attention to personal health management in accordance with the 'public action guidelines for yellow dust.'"