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As fine dust blankets Korea, will spring bring more?

Published: 10 Mar. 2026, 18:07

A haze blankets Jongno District in central Seoul on March 10 as fine dust levels worsen air quality. [YONHAP]

Much of Korea saw “bad” air quality Tuesday as foreign fine dust and domestic pollution built up under stagnant atmospheric conditions.

Seoul officials advise residents to wear KF80 or higher-grade masks outdoors as weak winds allow the haze to linger for several days.

Air quality monitors showed elevated levels of both particulate matter and ultrafine dust across most of the country Tuesday afternoon, according to the Korea Environment Corporation (K-eco).

As of 3 p.m., concentrations reached the “bad” category — defined as 81 to 150 micrograms per cubic meter — in Seoul, Gyeonggi, western Gangwon, Daejeon, Sejong, North Chungcheong, Busan, Daegu, Ulsan, North Gyeongsang and South Gyeongsang.

Forecasters expect the haze to persist across the country through Wednesday. Air quality could begin improving Thursday in eastern regions such as Busan, Daegu, Ulsan and Gangwon. But areas along the west coast — including Incheon, southern Gyeonggi, South Chungcheong and North Jeolla — may continue to see elevated fine dust levels through Sunday.

Pedestrians wear face masks as they walk on Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul on Feb. 22. [YONHAP]

Episodes like this occur frequently in March, when seasonal weather patterns can trap pollution over the Korean Peninsula, according to researchers from Kangwon National University and the National Institute of Environmental Research.

“March marks the transition from winter pressure systems to summer ones, and the season frequently comes under the influence of migratory high-pressure systems,” the researchers said in a study presented at the Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment in 2022.

“When those high-pressure systems stagnate, pollutants transported from abroad can accumulate together with emissions generated domestically.”

Tuesday’s episode followed a similar pattern, beginning as northwesterly winds carried pollutants into the country, K-eco said.

“In central and western regions, concentrations are expected to rise from early morning [Monday] due to foreign fine dust carried in on northwesterly winds,” the agency said. “As the incoming pollutants move southeastward, concentrations are expected to increase across most regions during the afternoon.”

A haze clouds urban Seoul as seen from Mount Nam in central Seoul on Feb. 22. [NEWS1]

Weather conditions have also allowed the polluted air to linger.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration’s atmospheric stagnation index — which measures how easily air circulates — conditions across the country are forecast to range from “moderate” to “very high” from Tuesday through Thursday. Winds are expected to remain light, blowing at about 1 to 3 meters (3 to 10 feet) per second.

K-eco said in its forecast through Sunday that “residual fine dust and domestically generated pollutants will accumulate due to atmospheric stagnation and converging air currents, leading to higher concentrations.”

Additional inflows of pollution from abroad also remain possible.

Weather charts from the Korea Meteorological Administration and the private forecasting company Kweather show a high-pressure system near Shanghai on Tuesday. Winds circulating clockwise around the system could carry pollutants toward the Korean Peninsula.

Forecast models show a band of elevated ultrafine dust moving northeast toward China’s Shandong Peninsula before curving back toward Korea early Wednesday.

Still, forecasters say overall fine dust levels this spring could remain lower than average.

“Strengthening anticyclonic circulation southeast of the Korean Peninsula will bring in cleaner southerly airflows, making springtime ultrafine dust concentrations likely to be lower than or similar to the seasonal average," the Korea Meteorological Administration predicted in this year's spring outlook.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HEO JEONG-WON [[email protected]]