Along with the chilly weather, winter tends to bring fine dust to South Korea.
To fight the worsening pollution, the government is banning outdated vehicles from the capital area.
Park Se-young has more.
Fine dust continues to be a serious problem in South Korea.
In the last three years, there have been an average of 33 days of "bad" levels of fine and ultrafine dust particles from the December to March period.
To reduce the number of such days by as many as six, ...the government will prohibit outdated vehicles without emission reduction systems from operating in the capital area ...from December to March next year.
This includes diesel vehicles manufactured before 2005, and gasoline vehicles from before 1987.
"We must share the view that we are both victims and troubleshooters of fine dust. I sincerely ask each and every citizen to join in this small but important action to reduce fine dust."
Vehicles breaching emission restrictions in Seoul, Gyeonggi-do Province and Incheon from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays ...can face a fine of 100-thousand Korean won ...or 88 U.S. dollars per day.
Vehicles owners will be given a one-month grace period to install filters ...and those living on basic income subsidies will be exempt from fines.
Also exempt from fines are vehicles that cannot have emission reduction devices installed.
And those who are fined can get a refund if they install the filter by November 2021.
The ministry will also look into expanding the restrictions to regions outside of the capital area next year.
Park Se-young, Arirang News.