Seoul issues emergency pollution measures

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is set to waive public transportation fees during peak commute hours on Monday to mitigate the worsening air quality brought on by fine dust particles.

The fee waiver is part of emergency measures that went into effect in Seoul at 5 p.m. Sunday as the fine dust level reached 57 micrograms per cubic meter as of 4 p.m. 

The city government said Sunday that fees will be waived for Seoul’s city buses, town buses, Subway Line Nos. 1 to 9 and the Ui-Sinseol LRT from the onset of their services through 9 a.m., followed by 6 p.m. through 9 p.m. Public transits in Gyeonggi Province and Incheon are not covered.

Vehicles belonging to the government as well as civil servants will be ordered to stay clear of roads based on the last digit of their license plates. For example, cars with license plates that end with an even number are allowed to be on the road on even dates, such as the 14th, while those ending with an odd number are allowed on odd dates, such as the 15th.

Under the policy, the government will also close 360 public parking lots, and reduce the operating hours of various construction and production sites under public ownership.

By Joel Lee (joel@heraldcorp.com)