In 2022, the annual air pollution level of particulate matter (PM2.5) in Seoul in South Korea stood at around 18 micrograms per cubic meter, down from about 20 micrograms per cubic meter a year ago.

Data collected for this research provides information on mixing layer heights and in-situ formaldehyde concentrations at Olympic Park during the KORUS-AQ field campaign.

This dataset is associated with the following publication: Kim, H., J. Gil, J. Jung, A. Whitehill, J. Szykman, G. Lee, D. Kim, S. Cho, J. Ahn, J. Hong, and M. Park. Factors controlling surface ozone in the Seoul Metropolitan Area During the Korus AQ campaign. Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene. University of California Press (UC Press), Oakland, CA, USA, NA, (2020).

Background

Air pollution is a major problem in South Korea. On days with high pollution, citizens are advised not to go outdoors. This is especially true for those who are elderly or have pre-existing medical conditions. Pollution levels are higher at certain times of year and can change rapidly based on meteorological effects. Being able to accurately forecast the level of pollution would allow South Koreans to plan ahead and avoid exposing themselves to the harsh pollutants.

Data

Pollution data

• date - date of measurement
• pm25 - fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (µg/m3)
• pm10 - fine particulate matter (PM10) (µg/m3)
• o3 - Ozone (O3) (µg/m3)
• no2 - Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) (ppm)
• so2 - Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) (ppm)
• co - Carbon Monoxide (CO) (ppm)
• Lat - Latitude where measurement was taken
• Long - Longitude where measurement was taken
• City - City where measurement was taken
• District - District where measurement was taken
• Country - Country where measurement was taken

Weather Data (auxiliary)

• STATION - Station Number
• NAME - Station Name
• LATITUDE - Latitude of station
• LONGITUDE - Longitude of station
• ELEVATION - Elevation of station
• DATE - Date of observation
• LIQUID_PRECIPITATION - Liquid precipitation (AA1)
• SNOW_DEPTH - Snow depth (AJ1)
• DEW - Dew
• EXTREME_AIR_TEMP - Extreme air temperature (KA1)
• ATMOSPHERIC_PRESSURE - Atmospheric pressure (MA1)
• SEA_LEVEL_PRESSURE - Sea level pressure (SLP)
• TEMP - Temperature (TMP)
• VIS - Visibility
• WND - Wind

For more detailed information about each field, you can view the documentation here: documentation. NOTE: some field names were changed for clarity -- if so, original field names are in parenthesis.

Source

pollution data: https://www.airkorea.or.kr/

weather data: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/

In 2022, the air pollution level from particulate matter (PM10) in South Korea amounted to approximately 31 micrograms per cubic meter. It is a decrease from 54 micrograms per cubic meter in 2008.

North Korea KP: PM2.5 Air Pollution: Population Exposed to Levels Exceeding WHO Interim Target-3 Value: % of Total data was reported at 100.000 % in 2016. This stayed constant from the previous number of 100.000 % for 2015. North Korea KP: PM2.5 Air Pollution: Population Exposed to Levels Exceeding WHO Interim Target-3 Value: % of Total data is updated yearly, averaging 100.000 % from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2016, with 11 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 100.000 % in 2016 and a record low of 100.000 % in 2016. North Korea KP: PM2.5 Air Pollution: Population Exposed to Levels Exceeding WHO Interim Target-3 Value: % of Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s North Korea – Table KP.World Bank: Environment: Pollution. Percent of population exposed to ambient concentrations of PM2.5 that exceed the World Health Organization (WHO) Interim Target 3 (IT-3) is defined as the portion of a country’s population living in places where mean annual concentrations of PM2.5 are greater than 15 micrograms per cubic meter. The Air Quality Guideline (AQG) of 10 micrograms per cubic meter is recommended by the WHO as the lower end of the range of concentrations over which adverse health effects due to PM2.5 exposure have been observed.; ; Brauer, M. et al. 2016, for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016.; Weighted Average;

South Korea Air Pollution: Tax Revenue: % of Total Environmental Related Tax Revenue: Resources data was reported at 0.000 % in 2021. This stayed constant from the previous number of 0.000 % for 2020. South Korea Air Pollution: Tax Revenue: % of Total Environmental Related Tax Revenue: Resources data is updated yearly, averaging 0.000 % from Dec 1994 (Median) to 2021, with 28 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.000 % in 2021 and a record low of 0.000 % in 2021. South Korea Air Pollution: Tax Revenue: % of Total Environmental Related Tax Revenue: Resources data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Korea – Table KR.OECD.ESG: Environmental: Environmentally Related Tax Revenue: Environmental Protection Domains: OECD Member: Annual.

Air pollution is closely associated with the development of respiratory illness. Behavioral adaptations of people to air pollution may influence its impact, yet this has not been investigated in the literature. Our hypothesis is that people experience and learn the underlying air quality to decide their adaptation, and they have a stronger incentive to behaviorally adapt to the air quality as it deteriorates. We tested our hypothesis on a sample of approximately 25,700 individuals from South Korea from 2002 to 2013 that contained information on daily doctor’s visits due to respiratory disease. We matched individuals to the mean of the past seven-day concentration of the particulate matter of size between 2.5 and 10 micrometers (PM10) in their county of residence. We examined whether people living in counties with greater air pollution suffer less from respiratory disease when the concentration increases. For the analysis, we separated counties into quintiles based on their mean seven-day PM10, and regressed the binary indicator of a daily doctor’s visit with a resulting diagnosis of respiratory disease on the seven-day PM10 concentration of the county of residence interacted with the quintile dummies. The key findings are that a 1-standard-deviation increase in the seven-day PM10 concentration in the two lowest quintiles is associated with an increase of 0.054 percentage points in the likelihood of a doctor’s visit with a resulting diagnosis of respiratory disease, which is about 40% larger than the effect in higher quintiles, and the size of 1-standard-deviation gradually increases from 0.037 percentage points in the third quintile to 0.040 percentage points in the fifth quintile. The smaller increase in the likelihood of respiratory disease in more polluted locations can be explained by the behavioral adaptation to the environment, but the effectiveness of the adaptation seems limited among the highly polluted locations.

In 2022, the air pollution level of NO2 in Seoul amounted to 21 parts per billion, down from 35 parts per billion in 2009. The annual emissions of NO2 in the year decreased over the years; the value recorded in the last three years was the lowest in the past decade.

South Korea Air Pollution: Tax Revenue: % of Total Tax Revenue: Energy data was reported at 1.850 % in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 3.084 % for 2021. South Korea Air Pollution: Tax Revenue: % of Total Tax Revenue: Energy data is updated yearly, averaging 7.027 % from Dec 1994 (Median) to 2022, with 29 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 9.552 % in 2001 and a record low of 1.850 % in 2022. South Korea Air Pollution: Tax Revenue: % of Total Tax Revenue: Energy data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Korea – Table KR.OECD.ESG: Environmental: Environmentally Related Tax Revenue: Environmental Protection Domains: OECD Member: Annual.

South Korea Air Pollution: Tax Revenue: % of GDP: Transport data was reported at 0.044 % in 2014. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.046 % for 2013. South Korea Air Pollution: Tax Revenue: % of GDP: Transport data is updated yearly, averaging 0.056 % from Dec 1995 (Median) to 2014, with 20 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.060 % in 2006 and a record low of 0.026 % in 1995. South Korea Air Pollution: Tax Revenue: % of GDP: Transport data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Korea – Table KR.OECD.ESG: Environmental: Environmentally Related Tax Revenue: Environmental Protection Domains: OECD Member: Annual.

This dataset includes MDA8 O3 and 24-hour NO2 concentrations measured in the Seoul Metropolitan Area from May 2018 to April 2021.

Suggestive associations of suicide with air pollutant concentrations have been reported. Recognizing regional and temporal variability of pollutant concentrations and of suicide, we undertook a detailed meta-analysis of completed suicides in relation to 5 major pollutants over 6 years in the 16 administrative regions of the Republic of Korea, while also controlling for other established influences on suicide rates. Of the 5 major pollutants examined, ozone concentrations had a powerful association with suicide rate, extending back to 4 weeks. Over the range of 2 standard deviations (SD) around the annual mean ozone concentration, the adjusted suicide rate increased by an estimated 7.8% of the annual mean rate. Particulate matter pollution also had a significant effect, strongest with a 4-week lag, equivalent to 3.6% of the annual mean rate over the same 2 SD range that approximated the half of annual observed range. These results strongly suggest deleterious effects of ozone and particulate matter pollution on the major public health problem of suicide.

PM2.5: Total Man Made Emissions: Stationary Sources: Combustion: Other data was reported at 0.774 Tonne th in 2021. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.816 Tonne th for 2020. PM2.5: Total Man Made Emissions: Stationary Sources: Combustion: Other data is updated yearly, averaging 1.012 Tonne th from Dec 2011 (Median) to 2021, with 11 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.326 Tonne th in 2011 and a record low of 0.774 Tonne th in 2021. PM2.5: Total Man Made Emissions: Stationary Sources: Combustion: Other data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Korea – Table KR.OECD.ESG: Environmental: Air Pollutant Emissions: by Sources: OECD Member: Annual.

PM2.5: Total Man Made Emissions: Stationary Sources: Combustion: Industries data was reported at 2.482 Tonne th in 2021. This records a decrease from the previous number of 3.131 Tonne th for 2020. PM2.5: Total Man Made Emissions: Stationary Sources: Combustion: Industries data is updated yearly, averaging 4.623 Tonne th from Dec 2011 (Median) to 2021, with 11 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 45.721 Tonne th in 2011 and a record low of 2.482 Tonne th in 2021. PM2.5: Total Man Made Emissions: Stationary Sources: Combustion: Industries data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Korea – Table KR.OECD.ESG: Environmental: Air Pollutant Emissions: by Sources: OECD Member: Annual.

As data that provides air pollution forecast information, it provides items such as high concentration of ultrafine dust (over 50), air quality forecast information inquiry, and details of ultrafine dust weekly forecast information.

In 2022, the annual air polluton level of ozone (O3) in Seoul in South Korea amounted to around 29 parts per billion. It was one point up from about 28 parts per billion that year before.

Additional file 2: Figure S1. The location of the Korean Air Quality monitoring stations (AQMS) in South Korea with highlighted box of Seoul Metropolis. Figure S2. The results of cross-validation for daily mean concentration of PM10, PM2.5, and NO2 in South Korea during 2012 and 2013. x-axis: observed values. y-axis: predicted values.

South Korea’s air quality control systems market, valued at over USD 2.61 billion in 2024, is driven by increasing industrial demands and government initiatives to improve air qual

The Asia Pacific Air Quality Monitoring Market size was valued at USD 77.40 Million in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 105.68 Million by 2032, exhibiting a CAGR of 4.55 % during the forecasts periods. Air quality monitoring is the systematic process of measuring and assessing the concentration of pollutants in the air to ensure it meets established health and environmental standards. This process involves the use of various sensors and instruments to detect pollutants such as particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), ground-level ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and carbon monoxide. These pollutants can originate from various sources, including vehicle emissions, industrial activities, and natural events like wildfires and dust storms. Air quality monitoring can be conducted at different levels, from local to global scales. Local monitoring networks provide detailed information about air quality in specific areas, while satellite-based monitoring offers a broader view of regional and global air quality trends. The collected data is often used to calculate the Air Quality Index (AQI), a standardized indicator that communicates the level of air pollution and its potential health impacts to the public. Recent developments include: Januaru 2023: The government of India launched the Technology for Air Quality Monitoring System (AI-AQMS v1.0) developed under MeitY-supported projects. The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Kolkata, in partnership with TeXMIN, ISM, Dhanbad under the ‘National program on Electronics and ICT applications in Agriculture and Environment (AgriEnIcs)’ has developed an outdoor air quality monitoring station to monitor environmental pollutants which includes parameters like PM 1.0, PM 2.5, PM 10.0, SO2, NO2, CO, O2, ambient temperature, relative humidity etc., for continuous air quality analysis of the environment., September 2022: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) launched the Asia Clean Blue Skies Program (ACBSP) to scale up ADB's investments in improving air quality in Asia and the Pacific. ADB launched the ACBSP at the Fourth Asia Pacific Clean Air Partnership joint forum in Seoul, Korea. The program supports the development and strengthening of policies and plans for ADB's developing member countries (DMCs) so that investments are stimulated in air quality projects, such as greenhouse gas reductions in energy, agriculture, transportation, industrial development, and urban development.. Key drivers for this market are: 4., Increasing Awareness and Favorable Government Policies and Non-government Initiatives for Curbing Air Pollution. Potential restraints include: 4., High Costs of Air Quality Monitoring Systems. Notable trends are: Outdoor Segment to Witness Significant Growth.