With fine dust levels reaching fresh peaks in recent weeks,... new emergency measures are being put into effect in South Korea this week.
They will be enforced nationwide,... and this time around,... the private sector will have to take part as well.
Lee Seung-jae reports.
Until now,... measures to reduce fine dust levels have only been introduced in Seoul and its surrounding areas.
On top of that,... such measures were only mandatory for the public sector.
However, starting Friday,... anti-pollution measures will now be enforced in all 17 cities and provinces nationwide.
The emergency measures will be issued if one of three criteria is met, including when fine dust levels exceed 50 micrograms for two consecutive days.
When the measures are triggered,... older diesel cars that weigh 2-point-5 tons or more will be banned from operating between 6AM and 9PM.
Also, while the alternate no-driving day was only previously implemented on just a public sector,... the new emergency measures will cover every vehicle owner in the country,... not just civil servants.
In addition,... schools will either slash class times,... or close altogether when fine dust levels are deemed too high.
Experts have found that past emergency measures caused fine dust levels in South Korea to drop by almost five percent.
South Korea's environment ministry says it expects the latest move to be twice as effective as the previous measures.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.