According to the National Institute of Environmental Research, dust that originated in areas such as the Mongolian Plateau over the weekend was carried toward the Korean Peninsula by northwesterly winds.
As of 1 p.m., the average concentration of fine dust particles measuring 10 micrometers or smaller (PM10) reached 149 ㎍/㎥ in central Seoul, marking the first such occurrence in November since 2020.
Dust levels also reached 97 ㎍/㎥ on Anmyeondo Island in South Chungcheong Province, 138 ㎍/㎥ on Heuksando Island in South Jeolla Province and 104 ㎍/㎥ on Jeju Island.
Ultrafine dust usually affects South Korea during the spring months of March through May, but it can also arrive in November, before snow covers the areas where the dust originates, when northwesterly winds blow the particles toward the peninsula.
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