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The pollution crisis in China and its damaging effects that know no borders are nothing new to Korea.
But with the level of pollutants on the rise, Beijing is finally starting to take bolder steps to curb green gas emissions.
Song Ji-sun reports. It seems like Beijing no longer wants to be tagged as the smoky grey capital of the world's second largest economy.
At the UN climate change conference in Warsaw, which ended over the weekend, the country pledged to balance its economic growth with stronger efforts to control pollution.
"At our pavilion, we are showing that the Chinese government, along with Chinese citizens, is making every effort to address air pollution.
We have also launched the world's first national Low-Carbon Day to encourage the public to help achieve the goal of a low-carbon China."
China relies on coal for about 80-percent of its electricity -- mostly due to the rising number of automobiles and factories -- and consumes nearly half of the world's coal supply.
As a result, China has the highest CO2 emissions in the world.
Going green is no longer an option, it's a must for the Asian country.
One section of the country's five-year plan ending in 2015 is dedicated to the environment and pollution control.
"China's current green growth policy is different from that of developed countries. While those countries' goal of green growth is aimed at the public's well being, China is in a position in which it must rehabilitate the environment, which has become heavily polluted over its three decades of rapid economic growth."
China and other countries with high greenhouse gas emissions won some time to make plans at the recent UN climate change conference in Poland.
Member countries will have until 2015 to publish plans for cutting greenhouse gases starting in 2020.
Seoul and Tokyo have called on Beijing to provide a detailed report on China's air pollution levels, but Beijing never has.
The environment ministries of the three countries agreed earlier this year to hold talks on air pollution control and ways to address the issue.
Song Ji-sun, Arirang News.
