Fine dust-clogged Seoul now wants ideas from citizens
People on Sejong-daero Street wear masks on April 15 when Seoul's air quality level was rated “bad” (PM10 concentration level from 81 to 150). / Korea Times file
By Ko Dong-hwan
The South Korean government has turned to the people to gather ideas about preventing fine-dust air pollution that often plagues the country.
Those interested can submit suggestions to the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission's “People's Ideas” site (idea.epeople.go.kr) until May 25. The best submission will be selected in June and the winner given a chance to join the experts' panel to expand his/her idea into practice next year.
“With your ideas realized through research and development, we can protect our citizens from the particulate matter,” the project's official poster says. “The government of South Korea will make up solutions for the pollution with the citizens.”
The unprecedented national brainstorm, called “particulate matter technology roadmap,” or PTR, is hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and seven other ministries.
The project, organized by the National Research Foundation of Korea, seeks ideas from “students of colleges, universities and graduate schools, researchers of industrial and educational establishments and the rest of the members of our communities.”
Science and ICT Vice-Minister Lee Jin-gyu said the latest bid “not only united trans-ministerial efforts but also gathers public opinion to realize a breakthrough that all citizens can appreciate.”
Seoul has been suffering air pollution caused by a massive concentration of PM10 (particulate matter of 10 micrometers or less in diameter) and PM2.5 year round. Confirmed causes so far range from domestic emissions, including vehicle exhausts, factories and power plants, to dust clouds from China that drift on wind currents.