Catch the Worst Fine Dust in March All Year Round... Interministerial Joint Operation

Intensive Air Quality Inspection in Multi-Use Facilities
Implementation of Expanded Coal Power Plant Shutdowns

The Ministry of Environment announced on the 27th that it will activate an all-out response system in cooperation with related ministries until the end of next month to prepare for the occurrence of high concentrations of fine dust in spring.

March is the month with the highest concentration of fine dust throughout the year and the month with the most "bad days (36㎍/㎥ or higher)." According to the Korea Meteorological Administration's weather forecast, this March is expected to have higher temperatures than usual and be mainly influenced by high pressure, leading to frequent occurrences of high concentrations of fine dust due to atmospheric stagnation.

Accordingly, the government will strengthen the on-site implementation of reduction measures included in the 5th Seasonal Fine Dust Management System, which has been in effect since December 1 last year. First, special inspections of ventilation and air purification facilities in multi-use facilities such as underground stations and railway waiting rooms will be conducted, along with wet cleaning at least three times a day. Roads with high pollution levels or heavy traffic will have street cleaning operations expanded up to four times a day.

In preparation for the new school term, schools will conduct comprehensive indoor air quality inspections, and if high concentrations of fine dust persist, flexible work arrangements will be recommended for sensitive and vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and respiratory patients.

Additionally, the number of public coal power plants to be shut down will be expanded from 15 units in winter to 28 units in spring. To prevent illegal burning as farming activities begin, agricultural waste will be collected intensively. In forest-adjacent areas, shredding support teams will be operated intensively to assist in shredding and recycling farming residues.

As construction work resumes in spring, dust reduction measures at construction sites will also be intensively inspected. A campaign will be conducted to ensure that vehicles entering the four major ports (Busan, Incheon, Yeosu·Gwangyang, Ulsan) comply with speed limits (10~40 km/h), and inspections of ship fuel oil (sulfur content) standards will be strengthened.

For workplaces that emit large amounts of fine dust and its causative substances, the heads of regional environmental offices will be responsible for managing weekly emissions and compliance with reduction targets.

For high-risk workplaces, special crackdowns on illegal emissions will be conducted using advanced monitoring equipment such as drones and mobile measurement vehicles. Additionally, emissions and illegal idling of large diesel vehicles and frequently moving buses in urban areas will be intensively monitored. Public sector-operated facilities such as incinerators will further promote emission reductions by adjusting operation rates when emergency reduction measures are implemented.

Han Hwa-jin, Minister of Environment, stated, "We will make every effort to respond to fine dust in spring through close cooperation among related ministries."