To this end, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon will sign an agreement with Beijing Mayor Wang Anshun during his one-day visit to the Chinese capital on Thursday.
The move comes amid South Koreans’ growing anxiety over hazardous airborne particles, mostly blowing in from China and Mongolia.
In the agreement, the two sides will express their determination to resolve the environmental issue through inter-city cooperation as it is a “common problem facing Northeast Asia, not a problem that plagues only one city,” an official said.
After signing the pact, Park plans to visit an observatory which measures pollutants and attend a forum where he will discuss ways of improving air quality with officials and experts from both countries.
South Korea has often been blanketed by a thick layer of ultrafine dust particles, with Seoul and surrounding Gyeonggi Province being hit the hardest.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com