When Korea was ranked 136th out of 146 countries in the 2002 Environmental Sustainability Index, and 120th out of 122 countries for air quality, the South Korean government and major stakeholders recognized that air quality needed major attention.

The Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Construction and Transportation, Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy, and Ministry of Environment worked together with “The Alliance,” a group of non-governmental environmental organizations and major auto industries throughout Korea to start addressing urban air quality. The initiative focused particularly on the Seoul Metropolitan Area of South Korea where the primary concern is PM_10, which has both environmental and human health impacts.South Korea uses PM₁₀ and other air quality indicators to track performance and evolve management practices. Seoul Air Quality established a comprehensive Air Quality Index (AQI) measuring PM₁₀, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide, and the Environmental Statistics Yearbook 2010, published by the Ministry of Environment, South Korea, provides the indicator data needed to track performance over time.

Seoul has 52 continuous monitoring stations, collecting air quality data, including of ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter measurements of 10 micrometers or less (PM₁₀). The broader metropolitan area, which encompasses 27 cities, has 75 monitoring locations, and electronic billboards throughout the city display the AQI measurements to the public.

The government implemented several policies to help reach strengthened air quality standards, which were strengthened from 80 micrograms/m³/year and 150/day in 1993 to 50/year and 100/day in 2007. The ‘Total Load Management System for Factories’ addresses factory emissions, and it requires that major pollutants, such as PM₁₀ and NO_x, be reduced to half their current levels by 2014. New policies addressing vehicle emissions provide financial support for low-pollution diesel vehicles, emission-reducing equipment, low-pollution engines, low NO_x burners, and the “early retirement” of vehicles generating higher pollution.

To address emissions in the public transportation sector, compressed natural gas (CNG) buses are being introduced throughout cities over time, with the number increasing from 74 in 2001 to 2,746 in 2002 and 23,000 in 2010. The Bus Rapid Transit System (BRT) was also established to create bus lanes in the center of roads for more efficient traffic flows, and congestion fees are collected at specific tunnels.

Additionally, public parks are being used as a management effort to address air quality. Governments are expanding green space with a goal of 10 million pyeong (3.3m² per person) by the year 2020, constructing Seoul Forest to create five separate parks and transforming the Nanjido landfill site into a park.

Sources

Report written by the Asian Institute for Environment and Energy Studies (AIEES), of the Soeul National University. Source materials include: Environmental Statistics Yearbook 2010 by the Ministry of Environment Republic of Korea, http://eng.me.go.kr/main.do, and Seoul Air Quality – Climate Change Information http://cleanair.seoul.go.kr/main.htm, and Special Measures for Air Quality Improvement in the Seoul Metropolitan Area. Ministry of Environment.