Air quality in Korea today
Current fine dust levels (PM2.5 and PM10) in eight cities and provinces, the official forecast for today and tomorrow, and what the Korean grades mean for your plans.
Right now
| City | PM2.5 | PM10 |
|---|---|---|
| Seoul서울Stations: 36 | 15Good | 27Good |
| Busan부산Stations: 31 | 6Good | 18Good |
| Incheon인천Stations: 37 | 14Good | 30Good |
| Jeju제주Stations: 14 | 8Good | 19Good |
| Daegu대구Stations: 24 | 5Good | 13Good |
| Daejeon대전Stations: 14 | 14Good | 23Good |
| Jeonbuk (incl. Jeonju)전북(전주)Stations: 46 | 17*Moderate | 30Good |
| Gyeongbuk (incl. Gyeongju)경북(경주)Stations: 48 | 7Good | 19Good |
Measured at Sep 29, 2026, 14:00 (Korea time), the latest one-hour readings from AirKorea stations.
* above the WHO 24-hour guideline
Retrieved Sep 29, 2026, 14:57 (Korea time)
Forecast
| City | Today | Tomorrow |
|---|---|---|
| Seoul서울 | Good | Good |
| Busan부산 | Good | Good |
| Incheon인천 | Good | Good |
| Jeju제주 | Good | Good |
| Daegu대구 | Good | Good |
| Daejeon대전 | Good | Good |
| Jeonbuk (incl. Jeonju)전북(전주) | Good | Moderate |
| Gyeongbuk (incl. Gyeongju)경북(경주) | Good | Good |
Official forecast issued Sep 28, 2026, 17:00 (Korea time). Each grade is the worse of PM10 and PM2.5, as in the official forecast.
Data updated (Korea time)Last checked (Korea time)
How the grades are defined
Concentrations in micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³). Korean bands in force since Mar 27, 2018.
| Grade | PM2.5 | PM10 |
|---|---|---|
| Good | 0–15 | 0–30 |
| Moderate | 16–35 | 31–80 |
| Unhealthy | 36–75 | 81–150 |
| Very unhealthy | over 75 | over 150 |
WHO 2021 guideline for a 24-hour average: PM2.5 15 µg/m³, PM10 45 µg/m³.
What the official guidance says
- Good
- Sensitive groups
- No specific advice
- Everyone else
- No specific advice
- Moderate
- Sensitive groups
- No particular restrictions on outdoor activity, but take care depending on how you feel.
- Everyone else
- No specific advice
- Unhealthy
- Sensitive groups
- Limit long or strenuous outdoor activity. People with asthma may need to use their inhaler more often outdoors.
- Everyone else
- Limit long or strenuous outdoor activity. If your eyes hurt or you have a cough or sore throat, avoid outdoor activity.
- Very unhealthy
- Sensitive groups
- Stay indoors as much as possible, and consult a doctor before outdoor activity.
- Everyone else
- Limit long or strenuous outdoor activity. If you have a cough or sore throat, avoid outdoor activity.
Sensitive groups are children, older people and people with lung conditions such as asthma or with heart disease. Summarised from the AirKorea forecast guidance table.
What PM2.5 and PM10 measure
PM10 and PM2.5 are airborne particles no wider than 10 and 2.5 micrometres. They come from traffic, industry, heating and dust carried by the wind, and they are reported in micrograms per cubic metre of air. PM2.5 is the finer of the two, and in Korea it is often called ultrafine dust.
Korea monitors both at hundreds of stations run for AirKorea, the national air quality service. Readings are published every hour, usually within about a quarter of an hour of the measurement.
How the live numbers on this page are made
For each city or province, this page takes the most recent one-hour readings from all AirKorea stations there and averages them. The number of stations and the measurement time are shown with the figures, so you can see what each value is based on. AirKorea's own city pages average readings from midnight until now, so their figures can differ from ours.
The grade next to each value applies Korea's official bands to that one-hour average. The bands were set for 24-hour concentrations; AirKorea has shown current grades based on hourly concentrations since 2016, and this page follows the same approach. The page asks AirKorea for new readings at most once every ten minutes.
Reading the forecast
The fine dust forecast is published several times a day for regions across Korea and covers today and tomorrow. It predicts the daily average rather than a single hour, and the grade shown is the worse of the PM10 and PM2.5 forecasts. A forecast grade and the live grade for the same city can therefore differ during the day.
Jeonbuk and Gyeongbuk are whole provinces. Their values cover cities such as Jeonju and Gyeongju but also rural areas, so conditions in a particular town may be better or worse.
Korean grades and the WHO guideline
Korea's grades are designed for daily warnings and are less strict than the World Health Organization's guideline. The WHO recommends that a 24-hour average of PM2.5 should not exceed 15 µg/m³, which is the top of Korea's Good band, and that PM10 should not exceed 45 µg/m³. A day graded Moderate in Korea can therefore be above the WHO level.
When a live value is above the WHO 24-hour guideline, the table marks it. This is a comparison with a one-hour average, so it is a signal to look at, not a measurement of a full day.
Planning around dusty days
Fine dust levels change with the weather and can rise over a few hours. On days graded Unhealthy or worse, the official guidance advises spending less time on long or strenuous outdoor activity, wearing a mask outdoors, keeping windows closed and using public transport where you can.
Indoor attractions such as museums, markets under cover and department stores are easy to swap in when the forecast turns bad. If you belong to a sensitive group, check the forecast the evening before and again in the morning.
Which places are covered
The page shows Seoul, Busan, Incheon, Jeju, Daegu, Daejeon and the provinces of Jeonbuk and Gyeongbuk. These are the places where the live readings and the forecast use the same area. Gwangju is not shown on its own because the live data groups its stations together with South Jeolla province, and Gyeonggi and Gangwon are left out because their forecasts are split into two areas each.
Frequently asked questions
- Why are these numbers different from my weather app?
- Many apps use the United States AQI scale, a different set of stations or a longer average. This page shows raw concentrations from Korea's official network and grades them with Korea's own bands, so the numbers and labels can differ.
- How often is the page updated?
- AirKorea publishes readings every hour. This page checks for new readings at most every ten minutes, and the measurement time is shown next to the values.
- Is it safe to go sightseeing on a Moderate day?
- The official guidance lists no particular restrictions at Moderate. Sensitive groups are advised to take care depending on how they feel. This page does not give medical advice.
- Is the WHO guideline stricter than Korea's grades?
- Yes. The WHO 24-hour guideline for PM2.5 is 15 µg/m³, while Korea's Moderate band goes up to 35 µg/m³. A Moderate day in Korea can be above the WHO level.
- Why is there no live reading for a city?
- Stations sometimes stop reporting for maintenance, and the AirKorea service is occasionally unavailable. In that case the city shows no reading or the page shows the last readings with their time, and the forecast remains available.
- Should I wear a mask?
- The official guidance for days with high fine dust includes wearing a mask outdoors. Masks are sold at convenience stores and pharmacies across Korea.