Yellow dust warning issued on Christmas Day

SEOUL, Dec. 25 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's weather watchdog issued a yellow dust
warning on Christmas Day, advising the residents of the capital Seoul and its
adjacent areas to avoid outdoor activities.
"Yellow dust which originated in Mongolia reached South Korea, blanketing most of
the western parts of the country," the National Meteorological Administration
said in a statement. "As the effect of the dust storm can spread to the nation,
it is desirable to restrain from doing outdoor activities."
Also affected by the warning, which went up as of 5 p.m., were South Chungcheong
Province and Jeolla Province.
Weather officials said it is the first time that a yellow dust phenomenon has
been spotted on Christmas Day in South Korea. It also marked the first yellow
dust storm to hit the country this winter.
Usually, clouds of hazardous yellow dust sweep South Korea in spring, caused by
China's industrialization and deforestation.
As China and Mongolia become drier, yellow dust storms occur more frequently even
in winter, weather officials said.
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
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