Around the world, countries differ in so many different ways. One of which revolves around air quality. Depending on the region and where the country is located, the air quality of that country might be either poor or adequate. But, how is it determined? When the air quality is good, it is clear and contains only small amounts of solid particles and chemical pollutants. Poor air qualities contain high levels of pollutants, which is hazy and dangerous to health and the environment. 

The air quality in South Korea is usually known to be pretty poor. There are two main sources of air pollution in South Korea. They are emissions from burning fossil fuels and gas emissions from vehicles. However, another huge factor in the poor air quality in South Korea can be because of China. China is known to be greatly industrial and therefore a large percentage of the pollutants are blown in by winds from China. Additionally, due to China’s rapidly developing economy, the amount of fuel burned increases vastly over a short amount of time. This is estimated to be around 4 billion tonnes of coal to feed the power-hungry society. 

Knowing the cause of air pollution in South Korea, the effects of it can be quite damaging, especially to human and children's health. Worldwide, up to 14% of children have asthma related to air pollution and easily developed respiratory disease. This disease caused hundreds of thousands of children to die every year. Children are also at risk secondhand. Pregnant women exposed to air pollution can affect fetal brain growth and it is also linked to cognitive impairment. While one might think they are safe due to the air quality being “good”. It is not always the case. Air pollutants are always around us. Microscopic pollutants in the air can easily slip past our bodies’ defenses and can gradually cause harmful effects, such as respiratory disease. 

• https://www.iqair.com/south-korea