City report · North Chungcheong, South Korea
Cheongju-si Air quality today
Air quality in Cheongju-si currently reads AQI 99 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 99
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 35.0
- tree cover
- 22.9%
- trees in this area
- 71.9K
- more trees needed
- 22.3K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Sajik-daero, Sangdang-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 23, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Cheongju-si · AQI 99 (Moderate)
Cheongju-si's tree count comes to 71,871 trees across 12.56 km² of land, 7 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 22,283 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Cheongju-si today: AQI 99, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 12, 01:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · 용담동, 1.3 km away · median of 6 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
35.0
PM10
52.5
NO₂
40.2
O₃
16.6
SO₂
6.5
CO
744.6
Data: OpenAQ · Korea Air Ministry of Environment, Korea Environment Corporation · AirKorea
- Outdoor exercise
- Fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier
- Windows
- Fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution
- Mask
- Not needed for most people
- Air purifier
- Worth running if you are sensitive
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Cheongju-si's daily AQI at 65 on average, from 50 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 87 on Nov 10.
Where Cheongju-si stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Cheongju-si: Below target
22.9% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.56 km² of land.
Trees in this area
71,871
Target trees
94,154
More trees needed
22,283
CO₂ if planted / yr
490.2 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Cheongju-si lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Cheongju-si has lost about 1,090 hectares of forest (about 1,500 football pitches): 14% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 283 hectares (26%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km southeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,090 haabout 1,500 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 14%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 283 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 70 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 59 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2023, when about 105 hectares of forest were lost.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 4 ha | 2 ha | 6 ha |
| 2002 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2003 | 4 ha | 3 ha | 7 ha |
| 2004 | 16 ha | 13 ha | 29 ha |
| 2005 | 8 ha | 16 ha | 24 ha |
| 2006 | 20 ha | 25 ha | 44 ha |
| 2007 | 6 ha | 26 ha | 32 ha |
| 2008 | 20 ha | 6 ha | 26 ha |
| 2009 | 23 ha | 31 ha | 54 ha |
| 2010 | 18 ha | 10 ha | 27 ha |
| 2011 | 13 ha | 2 ha | 15 ha |
| 2012 | 24 ha | 21 ha | 46 ha |
| 2013 | 2 ha | 29 ha | 32 ha |
| 2014 | 12 ha | 34 ha | 45 ha |
| 2015 | 14 ha | 39 ha | 53 ha |
| 2016 | 13 ha | 60 ha | 73 ha |
| 2017 | 16 ha | 65 ha | 81 ha |
| 2018 | 23 ha | 39 ha | 62 ha |
| 2019 | 7 ha | 39 ha | 46 ha |
| 2020 | 6 ha | 26 ha | 33 ha |
| 2021 | 2 ha | 40 ha | 42 ha |
| 2022 | 9 ha | 53 ha | 62 ha |
| 2023 | 6 ha | 99 ha | 105 ha |
| 2024 | 5 ha | 75 ha | 80 ha |
| 2025 | 11 ha | 53 ha | 63 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Cheongju-si?
- Loggingcan grow back74% · 800 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good26% · 283 ha
Also: unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 10,200 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 9,700 ha
- Overall change
- −490 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Cheongju-si shrank from about 10,200 hectares to 9,700 hectares, a net loss of about 490 hectares (−4.8%). New forest grew on about 155 hectares, but 645 hectares were lost.
These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.
These figures cover everything within 10 km of the city center, a wider area than the report above, because forest is usually lost at a city's edges.
Source: Hansen/UMD/Google/USGS/NASA, Global Forest Change (GFC-2025-v1.13); causes: WRI/Google DeepMind drivers of forest loss; both CC BY 4.0, summed by Airleaf for each area. Forest gained and lost 2000–2020: Potapov et al. 2022, UMD GLAD Global Land Cover and Land Use Change, CC BY 4.0. Images: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data. How it's measured
In the same region
Measured cities near Cheongju-si
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Sejong18.3 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 17%
- Air quality
- 99
- Daejeon33.4 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 14%
- Air quality
- 79
- Cheonan35.5 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 13%
- Air quality
- 117
- Pyeongtaek53.4 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 10%
- Air quality
- 126
- Chungju54.3 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 6%
- Air quality
- 92
- Sangju64.8 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 17%
- Air quality
- 88
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Frequently asked
Questions about Cheongju-si
What is the air quality (AQI) in Cheongju-si right now?
The latest reading for Cheongju-si shows an AQI of 99 (Moderate), measured Nov 12, 01:00 local time by 6 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is 용담동, 1.3 km away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Cheongju-si today?
At AQI 99 (Moderate): fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier. Windows: fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution. Masks: not needed for most people. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Cheongju-si been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Cheongju-si's daily AQI at 65 on average, from 50 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 87 on Nov 10. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Cheongju-si lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Cheongju-si has lost about 1,090 hectares of forest (about 1,500 football pitches): 14% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 283 hectares (26%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 70 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 59 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Cheongju-si shrank from about 10,200 hectares to 9,700 hectares, a net loss of about 490 hectares (−4.8%). New forest grew on about 155 hectares, but 645 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Cheongju-si?
Cheongju-si has an estimated 71,871 trees across the 12.56 km² of land measured — 22.9% tree cover, 7 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Cheongju-si need?
Cheongju-si needs roughly 22,283 more trees to close a 7-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 490.2 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Cheongju-si's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Sajik-daero, via OpenAQ; the 7-day trend is the Open-Meteo / CAMS model's estimate. Tree cover is measured from Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search satellite imagery at 10 m detail across a 2 km radius around Sajik-daero; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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