- Government commemoration ceremony at KINTEX in Ilsan, government awards for contributors to air quality improvement, plus side events including air environment industry exhibitions, promotions, and international symposia -

1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Minister Cho Hyun) and the Ministry of Environment (Minister Kim Sungwhan) announced that a variety of events will be held in celebration of the 6th International Day of Clean Air for blue skies* (Blue Sky Day, observed annually on September 7), which is both the first UN-designated international day proposed by Korea and Korea’s national commemoration day.

* Korea first proposed the idea at the Climate Action Summit in New York (September 2019), after which the UN General Assembly at its 74th session adopted a resolution designating September 7 as the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies (December 2019). It became Korea’s national commemoration day in August 2020.

2. The government ceremony for the 6th Blue Sky Day will be held at 2 p.m., September 4, at KINTEX Exhibition Hall 2 in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do, and broadcast online via YouTube.

3. The theme designated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for this year’s Blue Sky Day is “Racing for Air.” It connects clean air with sports, perseverance and equity, carrying the message of shifting the focus from problems to solutions and emphasizing the need to act quickly to address issues.

4. With a sense of urgency that there is no more time to delay in tackling the fine dust issue and climate disasters, the government has set this year’s Blue Sky Day slogan as “Racing for Air.”

5. Meanwhile, in commemoration of the 6th Blue Sky Day, the government will present official awards to four individuals and an organization for their contributions to improving air quality.

6. The recipients of the presidential commendation include Hwang Byoung-han, CEO of Kentek; the Korea Testing Certification Institute (organization); and Jeon Won-hyuk, Director of the Integrated Permit System Division at the Ministry of Environment. The awardees of the Prime Minister’s commendation are Song Sang-seok, Policy Committee Chair of the Green Transportation Movement; and Lim Hyun-jung, Group Leader at Samsung Electronics.

7. In conjunction with the government ceremony, the Ministry of Environment will hold a variety of side events, including an international symposium on information management on air pollutant emissions, with participation of the public, industries and experts; a forum on advancing air quality monitoring; a seminar on the electrification of construction and agricultural machinery; and an international workshop on the Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS).

8. In particular, for the first time, 54 exhibition booths will be operated this year to showcase and promote air environment industries. These will feature a wide range of technologies and products from companies aimed at reducing emissions from transportation and industrial sites, as well as innovations in monitoring, surveillance and policy to cut air pollutants and carbon emissions.

9. Ahead of the government ceremony, the Ministry of Environment carried out a variety of promotional activities to raise awareness of Blue Sky Day and encourage public participation in  efforts to improve air quality. These included a nationwide content contest, a social media running challenge, YouTube content production, and eco-friendly engagement events in cooperation with Korea Railroad Corporation.

10. In addition, affiliated agencies of the Ministry of Environment and municipal governments will hold various events to mark Blue Sky Day.

11. The Metropolitan Air Quality Management Office, together with the Seoul Metropolitan Government, will host a variety of programs on September 3 at Seoul Plaza (Lawn Plaza of the City Hall), including a Blue Sky children’s speech contest, a music show, and a quiz competition. The Geum River Basin Environmental Office will hold a walking challenge and environmental campaigns for baseball stadium visitors, while municipal governments of Busan, Incheon and Daejeon will hold their own commemorative ceremonies and policy forums on air quality improvement.

12. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will also host the 5th International Forum on Transboundary Air Pollution on September 8 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Jongno-gu, Seoul, in a hybrid online–offline format to raise awareness of the need for cooperation in addressing transboundary air pollution. The event will feature in-depth discussions among domestic and foreign experts on topics such as “Prospects for Air Quality in East Asia and Strategic Pathways for Regional Cooperation” as well as “Strengthening Cooperation for Joint Responses to Transboundary Air Pollution.”

13. UN agencies also marked Blue Sky Day by holding events and campaigns linked to sports, highlighting the severity of air pollution and the economic and social value of clean air and encouraging global participation in efforts to improve air quality.

14. At the UNEP headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, an event was held on June 29 during the Nairobi Marathon to monitor and provide real-time information on air quality. In addition, at the UN headquarters in New York, a commemorative event will take place, co-hosted by UNEP and the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the UN.

15. In addition, at the Asia-Pacific regional commemorative event co-hosted by UNEP and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) with the support of the Embassy of Korea in Thailand, discussions will take place under the theme “Sustainable Energy for Clean Air.” The event will focus on the importance of reducing air pollution through transition to renewable energy and of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

16. Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun stated, “Blue Sky Day is a meaningful occasion that calls for collective human action for clean air, and our efforts toward clean air must continue.” He added, “We hope that the various events held in celebration of Blue Sky Day will provide opportunities to explore diverse ways for international cooperation to address transboundary air pollution.”

17. Minister of Environment Kim Sungwhan stated, “Policies premised on the use of fossil fuel cannot fundamentally solve air pollution issues nor address climate disasters that could lead to the collapse of civilization.” He added, “To simultaneously resolve the climate crisis and air pollution, efforts are needed to electrify internal combustion engines and decarbonize the industrial and household sectors. Through these efforts, we plan to bring down the national average concentration of ultrafine dust (PM2.5) to below 13 ㎍/㎥ by 2029, the government’s target.”