A high concentration of particular matter (PM), which increases the risk of human health, is one of the major social issues in Korea. Because of possible causes and consequences from the PM, societal and political arguments and criticisms are rapidly developed and requested special attention to solve the problems. One of the main criticisms is the PM pollutants carried by the wind from China. Diplomatic conflicts arise due to different understanding of PM problems between Korea and China. Therefore, it is important to understand what are causes the PM emissions and its concentration. The objective of this study is to identify the socioeconomic factors that can relate to the possible contribution of PM2.5 concentration in Korea.
연구방법
Because of possible disparities and inconsistencies of the specialists' interests and Panel model is employed using the data of PM2.5 level for three years (2015 to 2017) for 17 provinces in Korea.
연구결과
The results indicated that the number of registered diesel engine vehicles, manufacturing production activity, and PM2.5 concentration of three provinces (Hebei, Shandong, and Jiangsu) in China are closely related to the PM2.5 concentration in Korea. Among these contributors, the number of registered diesel engine vehicles has the highest correlation with the PM2.5 concentration. It is important for the Korean government to consider a long-term multidimensional approach to solve this important issue and understand the possible societal welfare affect with innovative policies.