Air quality
Health, safety & support
Air quality
Korea's spring yellow dust and winter haze can push fine dust well above WHO guidelines. The numbers here are AirKorea's own hourly average for each city (the official city-wide figure, real-time and not yet confirmed), shown exactly as published; when that feed is unavailable we say so instead of guessing.
Air quality
AirKoreaKorea's PM2.5 grades (μg/m³, AirKorea)
- • 0–15: Good. The WHO 24-hour guideline is 15.
- • 16–35: Moderate. No special precautions in the official guidance.
- • 36–75: Bad. Cut down on long or strenuous outdoor activity; sensitive groups should avoid strenuous activity outside.
- • 76+: Very bad. Avoid long or strenuous outdoor activity.
- • PM10: Good 0–30 · Moderate 31–80 · Bad 81–150 · Very bad 151+.
Masks in Korea
- • KF80: filters ≥80% of particles averaging 0.6 μm.
- • KF94 / KF99: filter ≥94% / ≥99% of particles averaging 0.4 μm — more protection, harder to breathe through.
- • Buy masks marked 의약외품 (quasi-drug) with a KF number on the pack — those are approved by Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.
When to call it indoors
When PM2.5 is 76+ or PM10 is 151+ (Very bad), swap the day's outdoor sights for museums, jjimjilbangs or department stores.