(Unofficial Translation)


Chairman Ban Ki-moon and members of the National Council on Climate Change and Air Quality, citizens taking part in the public committee deliberating fine dust policies, 

It is my pleasure to meet you all. I am truly grateful to you for your dedication and hard work to come up with a host of measures to address the issues involving highly concentrated fine dust.

Our people deserve to take pride in their high civic awareness that extends into the environmental sector. When a policy to dissuade the use of single-use items was introduced last year, many voiced skepticism about whether it could be implemented as intended. In just about a year, however, coffee shops have reduced waste from single-use items by as much as 72 percent, and bakeries have decreased the use of plastic bags by 79 percent. I believe that people who willingly endure daily inconveniences to join in environmental campaigns are truly great. I’d like to express my tremendous appreciation to the businesses that have voluntarily complied with the relevant agreements.

The public policy deliberative committee has helped lay out policies that address fine dust problems and live up to the expectations of those Koreans who are very environmentally aware. Policies that can be traced back to the committee include designating shelters where people can escape fine dust, providing real-time information on fine dust levels, having the National Health Insurance Service cover anti-dust face masks and introducing pulmonary function tests into the NHIS’s screening program. I find these policies all the more valuable because they were derived from factors that impact our lives every day.

Providing real-time data on fine dust density at construction sites and the automatic monitoring of factory smokestack emissions as well as limiting the use of old diesel-powered vehicles and construction equipment are all new standards and policies intended to reduce fine dust. I am truly grateful to the public committee and its members for their contributions to successfully turning the first batch of proposals into policies.

The Government has actively embraced the measures the NCCA proposed to reduce fine dust. The Government immediately wove the NCCA’s seven key short-term remedies into policies – those related to reducing emissions from factories, power generation, transportation and everyday living as well as public health maintenance, international cooperation and enhanced forecasts. 

In particular, the Government adopted the December-to-March seasonal fine dust management system, a key public policy proposal, thereby making it possible to take effect on December 1. At a Cabinet meeting held a short while ago, not only Cabinet members but also the heads of three metropolitan and provincial governments – the mayors of Seoul and Incheon and the governor of Gyeonggi-do Province – attended discussions to ensure that the new system proves effective. I expect that implementation of the seasonal management system as outlined will significantly reduce fine dust levels during that time of year when severe suffering has occurred. 

The NCCA came up with the idea of designating an international Blue Sky Day, and I officially proposed this at the United Nations Climate Action Summit in September this year, where NCCA Chairman Ban Ki-moon was also in attendance. Member states unanimously adopted this proposal on November 26. Going forward, people around the world will more actively think about the issue of air pollution and seek solutions on September 7 every year when the “International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies” is observed. The efforts of Chairman Ban Ki-moon and everyone at the NCCA made this happen. I would like to express my special gratitude and encouragement.

Our people are also interested in cooperating with neighboring countries. Since we agreed to work together to find solutions to the fine dust issue at the Korea-China summit in 2017, the Korean Government has expanded cooperation, including information sharing, technological collaboration and policy exchanges.
A joint research report on the effects of fine dust conducted by Korea, China and Japan was published last month, enabling us to officially confirm the impact of fine dust between countries for the first time. By acknowledging joint responsibility for creating fine dust, albeit partially, neighboring countries have made a collective response possible. The Government will work harder to bring about joint efforts with our neighbors while implementing the cooperative measures discussed by the three nations’ environmental ministers. 

I ask the NCCA to provide enhanced support so that international cooperation on climate change and sustainable development as well as the issue of fine dust can be strengthened at next June’s P4G Summit in Seoul. 

The NCCA is preparing its second round of collecting suggestions from the public with the aim of announcing the results next June. I ask you to strive for fundamental solutions to the issue of fine dust with even greater participation from the public. 

One of the NCCA’s most meaningful achievements is that all the stakeholders – ordinary citizens, experts, civic groups, even politicians – came together to work on this national undertaking. The policies suggested by the public policy deliberative committee can be supported by relevant legislation and budget allocations with cooperation from ruling and opposition party lawmakers. My appreciation also extends to the members of the National Assembly who are joining us. In addition, I’d like to ask them to come together to prioritize the revision of the Special Act on the Reduction and Management of Fine Dust and the establishment of a legal basis for the implementation of the seasonal fine dust management system. 

I believe that if the people, the Government, the National Assembly, local governments and businesses put our heads together with a single goal in mind and pool our strengths, we will be able to gradually solve the fine dust issue. I am looking forward to you talking candidly in a relaxed atmosphere today. 

Thank you.