On the afternoon of the 16th, a real-time fine dust concentration’bad’ is displayed on the fine dust electronic board installed at the Seoul National University Station on Seoul Subway Line 2 in Gwanak-gu, Seoul. Reporter Lee Seung-yeop
On the 16th, when yellow dust from China, which is considered the most severe in 10 years, landed in Korea, citizens sighed, saying, “The yellow dust season has begun again.” In particular, this year, with the worst yellow dust in the aftermath of the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19), outdoor workers and street vendors are suffering from economic damage, and the elderly and respiratory patients are worried about deteriorating health.
On the day when Seoul’s fine dust (PM10) concentration recorded 137㎍/㎥ (as of 11 am), citizens who met in Gwanak-gu and Mapo-gu areas expressed their concern by mentioning the severity of the yellow dust that they encountered in the report the day before. Citizens who had usually replaced Corona 19 quarantine with a light dental mask also came out wearing KF94 masks in preparation for fine dust. Hwang Ji-min, a 29-year-old office worker, said, “I don’t think I have to wear a mask, but also glasses (for eye protection).”
On the electronic board installed at the Seoul National University Subway Station, there was an indication of “poor” concentration of fine dust and a notice of “restriction of wearing or going out”. Kim Hyun-ji (25), a graduate student waiting for a bus at a nearby stop, said, “I heard that the sky is clearer than I thought, but the concentration of fine dust is high.” Lee Gyu-yeon, a 40-year-old office worker, pointed out that “the yellow dust will continue until April, but we need to prepare measures at the national level.”
Outdoor workers sigh “I’m already afraid of the yellow dust this year”
On the afternoon of the 16th, an employee is dusting the clothes of a newsstand at a kiosk in Gwanak-gu, Seoul. Reporter Lee Seung-yeop
Outdoor workers, who had no choice but to do outdoor activities for a long period of time, seemed to crumble even more about the yellow dust. Employees who sell clothes and fruits at the kiosk frequently brush their clothes or wipe mirrors, and the snack shop owners closed the windows they normally open to block fine dust.
Immo (54), who sells clothing in Gwanak-gu, said, “I’ve been out for more than 8 hours a day, so I’m suffering from yellow dust every spring. Even if I wear a mask, I’m so uncomfortable and frustrated by the time I go home because yellow dust on my eyebrows is stuck.” did. A woman in her 50s, who has been running a shoe store on a nearby roadside for 20 years, said, “The bronchial tubes are usually not good because of smoke, but you have to open the door for customers to come.” The old man, who has been selling taiyaki bread for more than 10 years, sighed, saying, “On a day of severe yellow dust, business is not possible.”
On the afternoon of the 16th, the owner of a shoemaker complained of pain from fine dust in a shoebox in Gwanak-gu, Seoul. Reporter Lee Seung-yeop
“Hwang dust on the corona… I might have to wear a mask for my life.”
On the afternoon of the 16th, employees of a car wash in Gwanak-gu, Seoul are washing their cars while wearing masks. Reporter Lee Seung-yeop
Parents with small children were worried that fine dust caused by yellow dust would harm their children’s health. Kim Sun-kyung (38), a parent living in Songpa-gu, said, “My son in elementary school was frustrated with a mask, so I put on a dental mask, but for today I brought a mask to prevent fine dust,” he said. “It’s not as bad as the forecast (yellow dust),” he said.
At the same time, there was also a self-confident voice that he did not know when the day to take off the mask would come. Lee Mo (59), a site manager who met at the construction site of a new building in Gwanak-gu, said, “It is a rule to wear a dust mask at the site, but before the corona 19 epidemic, some workers were frustrated and took off the mask for a while.” “I don’t know if I should laugh or cry when I see how I’m wearing it,” he said. The president of a car wash said, “Looking at the photos of the Chinese yellow dust, it looked like Mars, not Earth.”
The Ministry of Environment predicted that the yellow dust will gradually weaken on the 17th, but there is a possibility that it will continue weakly afterwards, depending on the flow of the barometer around the Korean peninsula.
On the afternoon of the 16th, at a construction site in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, a worker is clearing traffic while wearing a mask. Reporter Lee Seung-yeop
Lee Seung-yeop reporter [email protected]
Eunseo Choi reporter [email protected]
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