How about fine dust this winter? The government reduced domestic emissions by 10↑ compared to last year

The government is implementing the ‘seasonal management system’, which is stronger than any other year this year, in response to the winter season when fine dust is intensifying. It will increase the amount of fine dust emission reduction by 9% compared to last winter, and strengthen restrictions on the operation of large businesses and old diesel vehicles in the metropolitan area.

On the 29th, the government held the 7th Special Countermeasures Committee on Fine Dust at the Government Complex in Seoul to discuss and confirm these details. The Special Countermeasures Committee on Fine Dust, established based on the ‘Special Act on Fine Dust Reduction and Management’ enacted in 2018, is co-chaired by the Prime Minister and the private chairperson, and is composed of up to 40 commissioned and ex officio civil and public members.

The main implementation plan for this winter is 19 tasks in four areas: △Leading reduction in the public sector, △Strengthening reduction by sector, △Improving citizens’ perceptions, and △Intensifying cooperation between Korea and China.

The reduction target for ultrafine dust generating materials during the seasonal management period is set higher than the performance of the second season management system last winter, and the amount of PM2.5 reduction is raised by 9% from 23,784 tons to 25,800 tons this year. The government announced that it had already started reducing emissions from public institutions and public workplaces, such as the District Heating Corporation and resource recovery facilities, in October and November.

The voluntary reduction targets of 297 large business sites across the country that have signed voluntary agreements have also been raised by an average of 10% from last year. The government plans to periodically check the implementation performance of these business sites through analysis of cutting-edge equipment such as drones and unmanned aerial vehicles, a private inspection team of about 1,000, and the Ministry of Environment, and apply different incentives. Considering the power and fuel supply and demand situation, the operation of some coal power plants will also be suspended or capped from December to March next year.

In the logistics and transportation sector, restrictions on the operation of vehicles with grade 5 emissions nationwide will be expanded in the metropolitan area. However, among the vehicles that cannot be equipped with a smoke reduction device, the vehicles of the basic livelihood recipients, the upper class and small business owners are excluded from the crackdown.
Six special and metropolitan cities are planning to establish ordinances to restrict operation and conduct pilot enforcement.

For example, in the metropolitan area such as Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi-do, from next month to March of next year, vehicles that do not take low-emission measures among national 5th grade vehicles are restricted from operating from 6 am to 9 pm. In case of violation, the daily fine is 100,000 won.

In addition, to reduce fine dust in ports, the participation rate of low-speed operation programs in five major ports, such as Busan, Incheon, Yeosu, Gwangyang, and Ulsan, was increased from last year (41% → 60%), and low-sulfur fuel oil ( 3.5% → 0.5% reinforcement based on heavy fuel oil) We also strengthen the inspection of usage conditions.

In addition, to prevent illegal incineration of agricultural waste and remnants in rural areas, it is planning to cooperate with agricultural organizations to support the collection of vulnerable groups such as the elderly, and to expand agricultural waste plastic recycling facilities and common storage areas.

The indoor air quality of about 4,000 multi-use facilities such as underground stations is also intensively inspected so that ordinary citizens can experience it. The frequency of cleaning is increased by about 3 times a day, centering on intensively managed roads (493 sections, 1972 km).

The ‘Air Korea App’ will be completely reorganized so that citizens can easily access and conveniently use it, such as fine dust concentration, action tips for each high-concentration situation, the current status of countermeasures by sector, and illegal emission reports.

The government added that it will also strengthen cooperation with China, which is the main cause of fine dust inflows from abroad. The two countries will discuss countermeasures together from the stage of establishing an implementation plan for the seasonal management system, and after completion, they will share performance evaluations and difficulties. The exchange of reduction policies between the two countries will be carried out under the broad framework of the ‘Korea-China Blue Sky Plan’. He also promised to respond more promptly by operating a high-level hotline between Korea and China in the event of a high concentration of fine dust.

Prime Minister Kim Bu-gyeom, who presided over the meeting, said, “This year too, fine dust has entered the winter season, and emergency reduction measures have already been issued due to high concentrations of fine dust in the metropolitan area and Chungcheong area over the weekend.” Every winter, the amount of fine dust that flows in from abroad increases, and we are concerned that domestic fine dust emissions will increase further this year following the step-by-step recovery of daily life.”

Prime Minister Kim said, “This winter will be an opportunity for the people to directly feel whether the government’s measures are actually having an effect. We will implement a more intense ‘seasonal management system’ than the previous year, and strengthen our efforts to reduce emissions in the industrial, power generation and transportation sectors that emit a lot of air pollutants.”

Earlier, Prime Minister Kim emphasized that the Moon Jae-in administration has been making all-out efforts to reduce fine dust over the past four years. He pointed out that the Special Act on Fine Dust was enacted in 2018, but in 2019, fine dust was formalized as a ‘social disaster’. Prime Minister Kim said, “The concentration of fine dust has improved by 33% compared to just before the Moon Jae-in administration took office.”

By Moon Hye-jeong, staff reporter selenmoon@hankyung.com