Korea, NASA to partner on air pollution study

The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration will send two science planes to South Korea next week to conduct an air pollution study in cooperation with the Asian country's environment research body, government officials said Tuesday.

The National Institute of Environmental Research said a DC-8 flying laboratory and a Beechcraft UC-12B King Air are scheduled to arrive at Osan Air Base, south of Seoul, on April 27 as South Korean and U.S. scientists are set to begin the six-week joint study on dust particles.

The scientists from the two countries will fly the DC-8 equipped with five laboratories inside, and King Air to gather data on air quality over various regions of South Korea starting early May.

An official at the institute said, "We expect that such gathered data will be utilized for various purposes including the enhancement of our fine dust forecasting capability." The institute and the Environment Ministry plans to analyze the data, obtained by the DC-8, in many ways at an investment of 15 billion won ($13.21 million).

The data will be also used for the development of a Korean-style forecasting model to forecast fine dust that is in connection with a weather forecasting model being developed by the Korea Meteorological Administration.

This marks the first time NASA has partnered with a foreign country on a study of air quality.

The South Korean research institute will continue the joint study with NASA by the end of June before dispatching its weather forecasters to the U.S. agency on an exchange training program. (Yonhap)