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Moon vows joint action with China to tackle dust

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Seen is the Gwanghwamun area being blanketed by fine dust, Seoul, Tuesday. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
Seen is the Gwanghwamun area being blanketed by fine dust, Seoul, Tuesday. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

By Park Ji-won

President Moon Jae-in will seek measures with the Chinese government to tackle fine dust pollution here, a Cheong Wa Dae spokesman said Wednesday.

Moon ordered the government to "discuss with the Chinese government to come up with contingencies to minimize the impact of the fine dust," according to presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom, Wednesday.

Moon said the two countries need to discuss joint dust-reducing measures, creating artificial rain over waters between the two countries and launching a fine dust forecast system.

Citing China's claim that fine dust from Korea drifts into Shanghai, Moon said, "making artificial rain over the Yellow Sea would help the Chinese side as well."

Noh Young-min, presidential chief of staff who served as ambassador to China until recently, said "Beijing is bigger than the combined size of Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, but creates a massive artificial rain from dawn to night in the city."

The measures came after Moon has pledged to curb the fine dust pollution and come up with measures to reduce its damage on Monday. The country has been suffering from prolonged bouts of toxic fine dust or tiny particles also known as PM2.5, much of which is believed to blow in from China for days at a time without any concrete government measures against it.

Environment Minister Cho Myung-rae briefed Moon on the issue on Monday, and Moon announced measures to install air purifiers in more daycare centers and schools.

"Focus every effort on reducing fine dust by creating a supplementary budget if necessary," Moon said.

The budget will likely be used for providing air purifiers and joint actions with China, Kim said in a statement.

Moon also called for domestic measures to reduce fine dust that will include the permanent shutdown of old power plants more than 30 years old that use fossil fuels, the spokesman said. Cheong Wa Dae took its own measures asking its workers not to use cars unless an emergency occurred, Noh said.

The emergency dust reduction measures were taken under a special law on fine dust, which was enacted Feb. 15.

Under the Special Act on Particulate Matter Reduction and Management, local governments are obliged to take various steps if the daily average level of PM 2.5, exceeds 50 micrograms per cubic meter and the figure is expected to top that level again the next day.

Opposition parties, meanwhile, stepped up criticism against the government for taking delayed and "empty" measures to tackle the fine dust pollution.

"People online say it is not fine dust, but Moon's dust. What he did was get briefed on Monday and come up with meaningless measures," said Hwang Kyo-ahn, the newly elected chairman of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP).

Rep. Na Kyung-won, floor leader of the LKP, asked the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and minor opposition, Bareunmirae Party to hold an emergency meeting to discuss ways to pass the fine dust-related bills and form a delegation to resolve the issue with China. She also urged Moon to designate the situation as a national disaster so that affected areas can receive government subsidies.


Park Ji-won jwpark@koreatimes.co.kr


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