SmogRank / Episodes / South Korea

South Korea, August 2026

For 2 days, from 24 to 25 August 2026, 9 cities in South Korea had PM2.5 at least twice their usual for the time of year. The worst reading was Chinju, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea: 31.3 µg/m³ on 24 August, about 3.1× its usual 10.0.

No cause namedWe have no fire or smoke records for these days, so we only say what the measurements show.
Cities reached9in 1 country
Days224 to 25 August 2026
Worst day24 August6 cities counted
Furthest above usual3.2×Daegu

Day by day

24 August 6 cities at twice their usual or more
NaesŏHwawŏnGoseongHadongWaegwanChangwonChangsuGimcheonGumiGwangyangGyeongsan-siTongyeongKuryeKwangyangNangenJinan-gunYeongdongSinhyeonKimhaeHayangSuncheonImsilYeosuKunwiKinzanGeojeSangjuEisenOkcheonJeonjuWanjuMungyeongGijangDaejeonGyeongjuNamsaYŏnmuHwasunYecheonAndongGwangjuIksanNonsanBoseongKimjeYeonilCheongju-siMasanCheongsong gunJangseongPohangKoesanSejongGongjuJungpyongBuanKoch'angYeongjuBuyeoJangheungNajuGunsanChungjuChinch'ŏnYeongamYeonggwangCheonanAsanMuanNeietsuSeonghwanTsushimaAnseongYesanBoryeongHaenamPyeongtaekHongseongMokpoYeojuWŏnjuT’aebaekPubalIcheon-siOsanTangjinYangp'yŏngGwangjuSeosanSinanSuwonHwaseong-siSeongnam-siHongch’ŏnSantyokuTaesal-liHanamAnyang-siAnsan-siDonghae CityWabuHwadoGuri-siNamyangjuIkiGwangmyeongSeoulGangneungBucheon-siChuncheonGapyeongIncheonUijeongbu-siJumunjinGoyang-siJeju CityGimpo-siYangjuMatsuuraGaigeturiSeogwipoMunsanKaratsuGanghwa-gunSaseboImarichō-kōItoshimaMaebaru-chūōKogaMunakataFukuokaTakuTakeoUreshinomachi-shimojukuKogaWakasugiKasugaHigashigōNakamaKashimaKanzakimachi-kanzakiNōgataSagaIizukaKitakyushuTosuShimonosekiOgōriYanagawaTagawaNagatoKandaTanushimarumachi-toyokiMineYukuhashiŌmutaUkihaYameOnodaHagiUbeBuzenHitaYamaguchiNakatsuHōfuMasudaShūnanYufuHamadaHijiKudamatsuBeppuKunisakiHikariGōtsuchōŌitaTsurusakiYanaiŌtakeIwakuniŌdachō-ōdaTsukumiuraHiroshimaGionYaeKureIzumoHigashihiroshimaYawatahamaMiyoshiUnnanIyoMatsuyamaMatsueTakeharaUwajimaMiharaImabariShinagawaJeongeupChangnyeongMiryangUlsanUngsangBusanYangsanChinjuDaegu
21 Aug22232425262728
Every measured city in the area, coloured by its PM2.5 that day; a dark ring marks a city at twice its usual or more. Bars: cities counted each day, coloured by their median level. Choose a day or press play; without JavaScript, the days link to that day's world ranking.

How it spread

ChangnyeongChangnyeong, 21 August: 20.6 µg/m³, 1.7× usualChangnyeong, 22 August: 18.8 µg/m³, 1.6× usualChangnyeong, 23 August: 25.5 µg/m³, 2.1× usualChangnyeong, 24 August: 29.5 µg/m³, 2.4× usualChangnyeong, 25 August: no readingChangnyeong, 26 August: 26.5 µg/m³, 2.2× usualChangnyeong, 27 August: 18.7 µg/m³, 1.5× usualChangnyeong, 28 August: 4.3 µg/m³, 0.4× usualChinjuChinju, 21 August: 20.1 µg/m³, 2.0× usualChinju, 22 August: 18.4 µg/m³, 1.8× usualChinju, 23 August: 18.1 µg/m³, 1.8× usualChinju, 24 August: 31.3 µg/m³, 3.1× usualChinju, 25 August: 16.9 µg/m³, 1.7× usualChinju, 26 August: 23.8 µg/m³, 2.4× usualChinju, 27 August: 20.4 µg/m³, 2.0× usualChinju, 28 August: 3.6 µg/m³, 0.4× usualJeongeupJeongeup, 21 August: 18.3 µg/m³, 1.5× usualJeongeup, 22 August: 19.8 µg/m³, 1.6× usualJeongeup, 23 August: 23.0 µg/m³, 1.8× usualJeongeup, 24 August: 26.7 µg/m³, 2.1× usualJeongeup, 25 August: 13.5 µg/m³, 1.1× usualJeongeup, 26 August: 20.9 µg/m³, 1.7× usualJeongeup, 27 August: 26.8 µg/m³, 2.1× usualJeongeup, 28 August: 9.3 µg/m³, 0.7× usualMiryangMiryang, 21 August: no readingMiryang, 22 August: 15.2 µg/m³, 1.6× usualMiryang, 23 August: 20.6 µg/m³, 2.2× usualMiryang, 24 August: 26.0 µg/m³, 2.7× usualMiryang, 25 August: 22.2 µg/m³, 2.3× usualMiryang, 26 August: 23.0 µg/m³, 2.4× usualMiryang, 27 August: 15.2 µg/m³, 1.6× usualMiryang, 28 August: 6.0 µg/m³, 0.6× usualUlsanUlsan, 21 August: 20.6 µg/m³, 2.0× usualUlsan, 22 August: 14.5 µg/m³, 1.4× usualUlsan, 23 August: 14.5 µg/m³, 1.4× usualUlsan, 24 August: 25.8 µg/m³, 2.5× usualUlsan, 25 August: 28.0 µg/m³, 2.7× usualUlsan, 26 August: 27.0 µg/m³, 2.6× usualUlsan, 27 August: 15.1 µg/m³, 1.5× usualUlsan, 28 August: 14.7 µg/m³, 1.4× usualDaeguDaegu, 21 August: 15.1 µg/m³, 1.9× usualDaegu, 22 August: 15.5 µg/m³, 2.0× usualDaegu, 23 August: 13.5 µg/m³, 1.7× usualDaegu, 24 August: 25.3 µg/m³, 3.2× usualDaegu, 25 August: 11.0 µg/m³, 1.4× usualDaegu, 26 August: 15.9 µg/m³, 2.0× usualDaegu, 27 August: 14.8 µg/m³, 1.9× usualDaegu, 28 August: 6.8 µg/m³, 0.9× usualUngsangUngsang, 21 August: 17.7 µg/m³, 1.8× usualUngsang, 22 August: 13.6 µg/m³, 1.4× usualUngsang, 23 August: 12.1 µg/m³, 1.2× usualUngsang, 24 August: 22.5 µg/m³, 2.3× usualUngsang, 25 August: 28.1 µg/m³, 2.8× usualUngsang, 26 August: 16.8 µg/m³, 1.7× usualUngsang, 27 August: 9.5 µg/m³, 1.0× usualUngsang, 28 August: 6.7 µg/m³, 0.7× usualYangsanYangsan, 21 August: 21.3 µg/m³, 2.3× usualYangsan, 22 August: 18.2 µg/m³, 2.0× usualYangsan, 23 August: 16.1 µg/m³, 1.8× usualYangsan, 24 August: 22.3 µg/m³, 2.5× usualYangsan, 25 August: 26.2 µg/m³, 2.9× usualYangsan, 26 August: 23.0 µg/m³, 2.5× usualYangsan, 27 August: 5.7 µg/m³, 0.6× usualYangsan, 28 August: 7.8 µg/m³, 0.9× usualBusanBusan, 21 August: 14.6 µg/m³, 1.6× usualBusan, 22 August: 9.8 µg/m³, 1.1× usualBusan, 23 August: 11.9 µg/m³, 1.3× usualBusan, 24 August: 22.0 µg/m³, 2.5× usualBusan, 25 August: 25.8 µg/m³, 2.9× usualBusan, 26 August: 17.6 µg/m³, 2.0× usualBusan, 27 August: 7.8 µg/m³, 0.9× usualBusan, 28 August: 6.7 µg/m³, 0.8× usual21 Aug22232425262728
Every counted city, in the order the episode reached them, 3 days before to 3 after. Each square is a day, coloured by that day's PM2.5; outlined: at twice the city's usual or more.
Good0–50
Moderate51–100
Sensitive groups101–150
Unhealthy151–200
Very unhealthy201–300
Hazardous301+

Every city it reached

CityDaysHighestUsualAbove usual
DaeguDaegu, South Korea1 25.324 August7.93.2×
ChinjuGyeongsangnam-do, South Korea1 31.324 August10.03.1×
BusanBusan, South Korea1 25.825 August8.92.9×
YangsanGyeongsangnam-do, South Korea1 26.225 August9.12.9×
UngsangGyeongsangnam-do, South Korea1 28.125 August9.92.8×
MiryangGyeongsangnam-do, South Korea1 26.024 August9.52.7×
UlsanUlsan, South Korea2 28.025 August10.32.7×
ChangnyeongGyeongsangnam-do, South Korea1 29.524 August12.12.4×
JeongeupJeollabuk-do, South Korea1 26.827 August12.62.1×

Daily means in µg/m³. Usual: the city's median for this time of year (its days within 21 days of the date, every year, leaving out the week around it). Above usual: its highest day against that.

Against other episodes in South Korea

Number 41 of 43 episodes in South Korea since our records began, by cities reached.

Bars: cities reached; colour: the level of the episode's highest daily reading. All 43.

Use this page

SmogRank, South Korea, August 2026: 9 cities with PM2.5 at twice their usual or more, 24 to 25 August 2026, smogrank.com/episodes/2026-08-south-korea-2 (accessed 2 October 2026).

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You're welcome to reuse a single chart, image or figure with this citation and a link. Terms.

An episode is a run of days when many cities close to each other (four or more within 350 km on a day, 8 or more in all) each had a daily PM2.5 mean of at least 25 µg/m³ and at least 2 times their usual for that time of year. Found in our own measurements, not picked by hand. How we find episodes. Values are each city's daily mean of its own monitors; causes are the usual kinds for a pattern like this, not a confirmed source.