[Exclusive] "Dramatic Improvement in Metropolitan Air Quality"... Climate and Air Policy Council to Be Established in Second Half of the Year

Launch of July Seoul Metropolitan Climate and Air Policy Council
Government, Local Governments, Research Institutes, Industry, and Academia All Participate
Expected to Serve as Control Tower for Metropolitan Air Quality Issues
"Will Address Fine Dust and Resident Health Damage Issues"

The government will launch a dedicated consultative body responsible for managing air quality in the Seoul metropolitan area in the second half of this year. The consultative body will include the government, local governments, environmental research institutes, academia, and industry. It plans to present groundbreaking air quality management measures that residents of the metropolitan area can directly experience.

According to a comprehensive report by Asia Economy on the 19th, the Ministry of Environment has decided to officially launch the Seoul Metropolitan Air Quality Governance in the second half of this year. Governance refers to a type of metropolitan administrative organization established to solve specific problems. The provisional name of the organization is the "Seoul Metropolitan Climate and Air Policy Council (Council)." Once preparations are complete, the first meeting will be held in July.

Seoul Jongno-gu downtown view. The photo is unrelated to the article content. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

The Council is expected to be a large organization encompassing the government, local governments, and the private sector. Currently, discussions are underway centered on the Seoul Metropolitan Air Quality Agency under the Ministry of Environment, with likely participation from each local government, the Korea Environment Institute, regional health research institutes, and fine dust research and management centers. Air quality experts from industry and academia will also join from the private sector. The government plans to establish the basic direction centered on the Seoul Metropolitan Agency next month and discuss the composition and functions by May. Detailed operational plans, including the roles of each institution and meeting frequency, will be finalized by June at the latest.

After its launch, the Council is expected to focus intensively on residents' health issues. A government official explained, "Measuring fine dust is important, but it is also crucial to understand the health damage to residents and to disclose it in an easy-to-understand manner," adding, "We are preparing to hear opinions from all walks of life through the Council." In addition, the Council will be responsible for fine dust countermeasures, refining the integrated permit system, linking climate and air policies, conducting research and policy development reflecting the characteristics of the metropolitan area, and collecting and researching basic data in the climate field.

Advanced countries already operate such governance when establishing environmental policies. Due to the broad causes and impacts of environmental issues, it is difficult for a single ministry to solve them alone. The United States created governance to improve energy efficiency, gathering about 200 representatives from the federal government, local governments, industry, and the private sector. In Japan, the Headquarters for Global Warming Countermeasures was formed, where the Ministry of the Environment, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, local governments, and industry cooperated. France also has examples where multi-ministerial organizations including local residents united to implement climate change response policies.

The background for the government establishing the Council also stems from the awareness that it is difficult for a single ministry to manage air pollution in the metropolitan area. So far, air pollution in the metropolitan area has been difficult to resolve due to differing positions by region and institution. A representative example is the "Seoul-bound metropolitan buses." Gyeonggi Province and Incheon City have requested an increase in metropolitan buses for residents commuting to Seoul, but Seoul City restricted additional buses due to concerns about air pollution, leading to conflicts. The government envisions that if there is an administrative organization to jointly discuss metropolitan air quality management, such conflicts can be resolved rationally.

There were many recommendations within the government emphasizing the need for collaboration. Park Ryun-min, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Air Quality Agency, said at an academic forum hosted by the Environmental Agency in December last year, "We are considering how to create governance in response to changes in air environment policies." He also expressed that there are many difficult issues to resolve, including conflicts with private businesses over environmental policies. Jeong Yong-won, director of the Seoul Metropolitan Fine Dust Research and Management Center, emphasized, "Collaboration among local air quality agencies is important."