Driving Restrictions on 'Emission Grade 5' Vehicles Until March Next Year
Enhanced Ventilation in Multi-use Facilities Such as Subway Stations and Terminals
Gwangju City announced on the 1st that it will implement the 'Seasonal Fine Dust Management System' from December, when fine dust concentrations tend to increase due to seasonal factors, until March next year. The 'Seasonal Fine Dust Management System' is a special measure system aimed at reducing fine dust during the winter season when fine dust concentrations are high.
Since 2019, the city has established an air environment management implementation plan and carried out reduction measures for each fine dust emission source. As a result, the annual average concentration of ultrafine dust has significantly improved from 23㎍/㎥ in 2019 to 17㎍/㎥ in 2023. In particular, compared to before the implementation of the seasonal management system (December 2018 to March 2019), the results of the 5th seasonal management system (December 2023 to March 2024) show that the ultrafine dust concentration decreased from 33㎍/㎥ to 18.7㎍/㎥, achieving a 43% reduction.
During the '6th Seasonal Fine Dust Management System' period, 16 tasks across three areas will be implemented: ▲Reduction and management of key emission sources (transportation, industry, and power generation sectors) ▲Focused management of citizen living spaces ▲Fine dust forecasting and proactive response.
In the transportation sector, operation of Grade 5 emission vehicles will be restricted. During the seasonal fine dust management period, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays (excluding Saturdays and public holidays), operating a Grade 5 vehicle without low-emission measures will result in a daily fine of 100,000 KRW. During emergency reduction measures, operation restrictions on Grade 4 vehicles owned by administrative and public institutions will also be piloted. Additionally, enforcement of vehicle emission inspections, special inspections of private vehicle inspection centers, and restrictions on the use of old construction machinery at construction sites will be promoted.
In the industry and power generation sectors, advanced monitoring systems such as drones, remote chimney monitoring systems (TMS), and Internet of Things (IoT) measuring devices will be used to intensively monitor illegal fine dust emissions at pollutant-emitting facilities. Measures such as limiting indoor heating temperatures to below 18 degrees Celsius in public institutions to save energy will also be implemented.
In the focused management of citizen living spaces, to protect public health, air purifiers and ventilation facilities will be strengthened to remove fine dust at 238 multi-use facilities such as subway stations and terminals.
Fine dust intensive management zones (4 areas, inspected once a month) and rest areas (48 locations, fully inspected every two months) will be regularly checked and managed to ensure citizens can use them healthily.
The city provides real-time fine dust concentration information through the Air Korea app, fine dust traffic lights, and bus information terminals so that citizens can avoid fine dust during high concentration occurrences. Furthermore, the reliability of forecasts will be enhanced through inspection of air monitoring networks and real-time monitoring.
Son In-gyu, Director of the Climate and Air Policy Division, stated, "This winter's weather is expected to have temperatures similar to the average year, but sudden cold waves may occur due to the La Ni?a effect. We will closely monitor domestic and international weather changes and make every effort to implement the seasonal fine dust management system to protect citizens' health from fine dust."
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