Korea and China to hold fine dust talks in December
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The downtown area of Seoul is blanketed by fine dust, Sunday. /Yonhap
By Kim Jae-heun
Korea and China will hold a senior-level meeting in December to discuss problems related to fine dust, according to the environment ministry, Sunday.
The first talks of the directors from Seoul's Ministry of Environment and Beijing's Ministry of Ecology and Environment are set to take place here on fine dust ― a class-one carcinogen as designated by the World Health Organization.
Fine dust refers to airborne particles that are smaller than 10 micrometers and have been known to cause various respiratory problems while also affecting the body's immune system.
In spring and late fall, Korea is plagued by heavy fine dust, which is mainly believed to come from China, and contributes to air pollution. The two sides established an environmental cooperation center in Beijing. Currently, seven Koreans from the National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER) as well as the environment ministry are dispatched to the center.
“As the first meeting comes as the fine dust level is on the brink of soaring, representatives from both countries are expected to seriously discuss relevant issues,” a ministry official said.
“Fine dust coming from China is likely to be on the agenda during the meeting.”
There are six topics that will be discussed during the bilateral meeting and they include joint research on air quality, cooperative research on artificial rain and Seoul-Beijing cooperation on improving air quality.
Korea and China have already begun conducting joint investigations and research on improving air quality in six northern cities in China, including Beijing, since May last year.
The two countries have also signed an 82.7 billion won ($73.1 million) contract on 11 projects to reduced air pollution at steelworks in China, using Korean technology.
Currently, some 45 projects worth 165 billion won are being negotiated between the two governments.
However, some experts are worried China might lower their goals in improving the environment due to the economic effects of the trade war with America.
The two governments will discuss all of this at director-level talks during the meeting.
As the air pollution issue has become a serious social concern, the government announced in August it will limit both the number of vehicles on the road and the operating hours of facilities that generate pollution when the fine dust alert is in effect, starting next year.