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Seoul residents wear pollution masks outside on Apr. 15, when levels of fine particle dust were considered “bad.” (Yonhap News)
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China’s refusal to take part in publication throws wrench in works
The publication of a joint research report on the movement of fine particle dust among South Korea, China, and Japan has been indefinitely postponed. At a 19th trilateral environmental ministers’ meeting in Suwon in Aug. 2017, the South Korean Ministry of Environment announced that the three countries had agreed to publish a report the following year summarizing joint research conducted since 2013 on long-range transport pollution (LTP) in the atmosphere, including fine dust. The research findings have already been shared among researchers on the three countries, forming the basis for conclusions that external influences on South Korea’s fine dust total 30–50 percent on a normal basis and 60–80 percent at times of high concentrations. Many had expected the official publication of the report would serve as a basis for China to acknowledge responsibility as a source of the dust. But China’s recent refusal once again to take part in the joint publication put a stop to the South Korean Ministry of Environment’s plans to publish it at the 20th environmental ministers’ meeting in Suzhou on June 23–24. As a reason for opposing the report’s publication, China has cited the large degree of uncertainty due to the older dates for the data used for the study, the ministry explained. While 2013 data were used for South Korea and Japan’s fine dust emissions calculations, data for China came from 2008 and 2010. In addition to the report’s content, China is also reportedly arguing that it never “agreed” to the joint publication. According to China, while the text of the joint agreement at the 19th environmental ministers’ meeting in Aug. 2017 stated that the three sides’ ministers “expected” to publish a report, it did not say that they had “agreed” to do so. By Kim Jeong-su, senior staff writer Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
