S. Korea blanketed with 1st yellow dust of year

Yellow dust covered most parts of the country for the first time in a year on Sunday, the weather agency said. It was first observed on the western island of Baengnyeong at 6:50 a.m. and it gradually blanketed the skies of Seoul and its surrounding areas, Gangwon Province and the central Chungcheong Province. As of 11 a.m., the average hourly concentration of fine dust particles smaller than 10 micrometers in diameter, known as PM 10, had risen to 162 and 112 micrograms per cubic meter in Seoul and Sokcho, respectively. It was 219 in Ganghwa Island. A fine dust advisory has been issued for regions, including Seoul and Ganghwa, where the concentration of PM 10 has exceeded the "very bad" standard of 151 micrograms per cubic meter or higher. Yellow dust is forecast to blanket the entire peninsula as a result of the southeastern wind, but is expected to dissipate by Monday. The last time yellow dust was observed was in May. Source: Yonhap News Agency