 |
| Participants pose for the picture during the opening ceremony of the international forum on air quality improvement held at Seoul City in last September. / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government |
By Kim Jae-heun
Officials from 35 Asian cities will gather in Seoul to discuss solutions for fine dust and other forms of air pollution, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said, Tuesday.
They are meeting at the Seoul International Forum on Air Quality Improvement hosted by the city government at Seoul City Hall from today until Friday.
The annual event has been held here since 2010, and has brought together officials from Northeast Asian countries to seek joint countermeasures to worsening air pollution in the region.
Starting this year, the forum is expanding its size in order to find ways to combat the pollution that is becoming a worldwide problem. Experts from five additional countries ― China, Japan, Mongolia, Vietnam and Singapore were invited ― have been invited to speak.
From China, in particular, 16 cities will join the forum as the country's role in the issue is important, Seoul City said.
"This year, the largest number of Chinese cities will participate in the forum. It is a good chance for Seoul City to build mutual cooperation with them as they have been showing a greater interest in the environmental issue recently," said Hyun Kyung-sun, deputy director of the Environment Policy Division at the city government's Climate and Environment Headquarters.
"Heilongjiang, Shenyang and Yunnan will join the event for the first time, which will allow Seoul to form a network with various regions in China and not only with major cities such as Beijing," Hyun said.
Beijing has also made a special request to hold a separate conference with Seoul alone to exchange policies in reducing fine dust created by the transportation sector.
The conference will have a closed-door session Thursday and working groups from each city will share their know-how and experience. Since the forum was launched, this will be is the first time to specific policies are shared between specific cities, the deputy director said.
Local governments from South Jeolla and South Gyeongsang provinces will participate in the forum for the first time along with members of the National Council on Climate and Air Quality, a presidential committee headed by former U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon.
Other government bodies and organizations including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Environment and Seoul National University will participate in the event.
Isabelle Louis, the deputy director of U.N. Environment Program's (UNEP) Asian Pacific Regional Office, will open the forum with a keynote speech on cooperative efforts to make air clean and offer 25 suggestions.
Prof. Ahn Byung-ok of the Department of Convergence Science and Technology at Hoseo University, who is also giving a keynote address, will talk about key considerations for integrating air quality and climate change policies.
"Fine dust is an issue directly related to health and people's lives, an urban issue that should be resolved urgently," Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said in a press release. "But efforts by one city or one region have limits; adjacent cities, as a breathing community, need to hold joint responsibility and resolve the problem through solidarity and cooperation."
![[ANALYSIS] Tesla, BYD's price cuts unnerve LGES, Samsung, SK](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/b1cf8ba68d474cb69352bfe7ea9d14f0.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] How ATEEZ achieved worldwide success](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/c7723b56dde94eb4b260950d368fe8fb.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
