South Korea Covered in the Worst Yellow Dust So Far this Year

It is definitely yellow dust season again in South Korea:

Korea was blanketed with the worst toxic smog so far this year over the weekend, forcing many people to cancel outdoor activities.

“Without rain or winds, accumulated pollutants from outside and inside the country caused a high density of fine dust,” the Environment Ministry said.

As of 1 p.m. on Sunday, the concentration of ultrafine or PM2.5 dust particles was “very bad” at 101 ㎍/㎥ and higher in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, and North Chungcheong Province. The fine dust density went even higher in most regions on Sunday.

The ministry decided to implement emergency measures for the Seoul metropolitan area for the fourth time this year as the fine dust density exceeded 50 ㎍/㎥ in Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi as of 5 p.m. Sunday and is expected to surpass the level again on Monday.

Some 27,000 civil servants in the Seoul area are only allowed to drive cars with even number plates on Monday.  [Chosun Ilbo]

I doubt the car restriction on the civil servants would do much of anything to the fine dust level.  I am willing to bet that President Moon could declare a national holiday and keep everyone at home and it would do nothing to the yellow dust level since the source of the problem largely lies across the border in China.  The ROK government can’t do anything about that, so restricting a few cars at least allows the government to look like it is “doing something”.