[Thematic report] Yellow Dustby Seyi Jang | 10-11-2021 20:11 |
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 The spring in South Korea is full of joy and excitement. The snow melts and the streets are filled with cherry blossoms, schools open after a long winter holiday, parks are crowded with people for a picnic and so on. Although there are so much pleasure in the spring of South Korea, there is one factor which Koreans abhor when the spring comes, yellow dust also known as Hwang-sa. Yellow dust co-existed with Korean people for centuries. With the help of jet stream, the sand particles from the desert of northern China and Mongolia flew to the Korean peninsula. Back in the past, the only problem about the yellow dust was that it reduced visibility. But as countries, especially China, developed dramatically during the past century, the yellow dust became more and more toxic. Now, along with the sand particles, the yellow dust also carries industrial pollutants, viruses and even heavy metals. The catastrophe that the yellow dust makes is dreadful. Chemicals in yellow dust has negative effects on respiratory system. Breathing the yellow dust constantly can cause cancer and neurological diseases like Parkinson¡¯s disease. Even if you are a healthy person, you are most likely to get asthma and sore throat. Due to these severe health effect, the government recommend the citizens to not go outside when the yellow dust reaches unhealthy concentration, sometimes even closing school and outdoor events when it is too severe. Yellow dust can also damage crops and soil, making it a long term problem. As more than 80% of the fine dust particles come from China, both countries are working to get through the issue together. Planting trees in China is one example of it. However, unless drastic actions toward reducing the pollutants are made in both countries, we have to suffer the yellow dust every year. In March 2019, the South Korean National Assembly officially announced the fine dust issue as ¡®social disaster¡¯. While the yellow dust disappeared during the covid era, it is starting to appear yet again as the economy revive. This time, the government has to take action in both diplomatic and environmental sector, so that the people in South Korea can breathe the fresh air and enjoy the warm weather of spring. https://asiasociety.org/korea/hwang-sa-yellow-dust https://www.climatescorecard.org/2020/02/national-assembly-declares-fine-dust-to-be-a-social-disaster-in-south-korea/ http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20210315000813
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