(Image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — Senior officials of South Korea and China have agreed to step up cooperation to fight regional environmental issues, including fine dust, the foreign ministry said Friday.
During a meeting of the South Korea-China joint committee on environmental cooperation in Changdong, China on Thursday, the foreign ministry’s Director-General for environmental issues, Kwon Sei-joong, and Deputy Director-General at China’s environmental ministry, Song Xiaozhi, discussed joint efforts on the environmental sector, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Air pollution, including fine dust, as well as water and marine pollution were the major issues discussed at the meeting.
The South Korean side said fine dust is a national issue that all South Korean people are suffering from, but the country cannot solve the issue on its own, calling for China’s cooperation on the issue.
“Both the South Korean and Chinese sides agreed to further strengthen collaboration in order to deal with bilateral and regional environmental problems, including air and marine pollution,” the ministry noted.
During the meeting, the officials also agreed to launch a new joint research project on removing trash from oceans and to review two other new joint projects on issues, such as reducing green house gases, according to the ministry.
They also agreed to hold another joint committee meeting in South Korea before the end of this year.
(Yonhap)
