China's 'smog refugees' flee capital for clean air

중국 스모그 피난 행렬...공기 좋은 남쪽으로!
China is paying a toxic price for its economic boom.
Dense smog caused by coal fumes, vehicle exhaust and other pollutants has prompted thousands of Chinese in the north of the country to say "enough is enough".
The so-called "smog refugees" are jumping on flights down south in search of cleaner air.
Kim Mok-yeon reports.

For the first time this year, China's environmental watchdog has issued an air pollution red alert for six straight days.
The alert, which has been in place since last Friday, covers more than 20 cities in the country's northern region.
The alert suspends operations at more than three-thousand construction sites in Beijing and highways in Hebei and Tianjin have been closed due to low visibility caused by dense smog.
Residents are advised to stay home or wear masks when outdoors as the number of patients with respiratory problems has spiked dramatically.

"I think from the perspective of the public, it is also a way of seeking for psychological comfort."

Fleeing the toxic air, hundreds of worried residents, dubbed "smog-refugees" have booked flights to southern inland and eastern coastal areas where the air quality is better.

Edit No2098
"Even though the country asked primary and middle schools to stay at home, if weather pollution cannot be improved fundamentally, we are still worried."

The Beijing Evening News reported that demand for flight tickets bound to southern areas nearly tripled and that seats for popular resort areas in the south such as Sanya, Dali and Xiamen were sold out.
Experts in the tourism industry say the trend of traveling against smog is expected to become a major driver of winter travel in China.
They forecast some 150-thousand additional travelers will escape the capital area this month.
Kim Mok-yeon, Arirang News.

Visit ‘Arirang News’ Official Pages