With fine dust levels reaching fresh peaks in recent weeks,... new emergency measures are being put into effect in South Korea this week.<br />They will be enforced nationwide,... and this time around,... the private sector will have to take part as well.<br />Lee Seung-jae reports. <br />Until now,... measures to reduce fine dust levels have only been introduced in Seoul and its surrounding areas.<br />On top of that,... such measures were only mandatory for the public sector.<br />However, starting Friday,... anti-pollution measures will now be enforced in all 17 cities and provinces nationwide.<br />The emergency measures will be issued if one of three criteria is met, including when fine dust levels exceed 50 micrograms for two consecutive days.<br />When the measures are triggered,... older diesel cars that weigh 2-point-5 tons or more will be banned from operating between 6AM and 9PM.<br />Also, while the alternate no-driving day was only previously implemented on just a public sector,... the new emergency measures will cover every vehicle owner in the country,... not just civil servants.<br />In addition,... schools will either slash class times,... or close altogether when fine dust levels are deemed too high.<br />Experts have found that past emergency measures caused fine dust levels in South Korea to drop by almost five percent. <br />South Korea's environment ministry says it expects the latest move to be twice as effective as the previous measures.<br />Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.<br />
