City report · Gangwon-do, South Korea
Gangneung Air quality today
Air quality in Gangneung currently reads AQI 73 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 73
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 21.0
- tree cover
- 39.4%
- trees in this area
- 124K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Hongje-dong, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-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.
Gangneung · AQI 73 (Moderate)
Gangneung's tree count comes to 123,655 trees across 12.56 km² of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Gangneung today: AQI 73, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 12, 02:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · 주문진읍, 16.3 km away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
21.0
PM10
25.0
NO₂
12.8
O₃
79.6
SO₂
5.5
CO
332.2
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 Gangneung's daily AQI at 47 on average, from 34 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 88 on Nov 4.
Where Gangneung stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Gangneung: Healthy tree cover
39.4% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.56 km² of land.
Trees in this area
123,655
Target trees
123,655
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Gangneung lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Gangneung has lost about 1,170 hectares of forest (about 1,600 football pitches): 8.8% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 357 hectares (31%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from September 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 5 km west of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,170 haabout 1,600 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 8.8%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 357 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss is slowing down: about 31 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 74 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2017, when about 200 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 | 56 ha | 16 ha | 72 ha |
| 2002 | 10 ha | 4 ha | 14 ha |
| 2003 | 1 ha | 11 ha | 13 ha |
| 2004 | 48 ha | 72 ha | 120 ha |
| 2005 | 6 ha | 56 ha | 62 ha |
| 2006 | 7 ha | 28 ha | 35 ha |
| 2007 | 18 ha | 17 ha | 35 ha |
| 2008 | 17 ha | 24 ha | 41 ha |
| 2009 | 26 ha | 31 ha | 58 ha |
| 2010 | 12 ha | 31 ha | 42 ha |
| 2011 | 18 ha | 50 ha | 68 ha |
| 2012 | 6 ha | 30 ha | 36 ha |
| 2013 | 2 ha | 11 ha | 13 ha |
| 2014 | 4 ha | 8 ha | 12 ha |
| 2015 | 8 ha | 10 ha | 18 ha |
| 2016 | 9 ha | 22 ha | 31 ha |
| 2017 | 21 ha | 179 ha | 200 ha |
| 2018 | 6 ha | 83 ha | 90 ha |
| 2019 | 13 ha | 20 ha | 33 ha |
| 2020 | 14 ha | 5 ha | 19 ha |
| 2021 | 9 ha | 13 ha | 22 ha |
| 2022 | 4 ha | 10 ha | 14 ha |
| 2023 | 15 ha | 38 ha | 53 ha |
| 2024 | 18 ha | 34 ha | 52 ha |
| 2025 | 7 ha | 8 ha | 15 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Gangneung?
- Loggingcan grow back60% · 705 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good30% · 345 ha
- Wildfirescan grow back8.3% · 97 ha
Also: mining and energy, 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
- 13,600 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 14,300 ha
- Overall change
- +708 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Gangneung grew from about 13,600 hectares to 14,300 hectares, a net gain of about 708 hectares (+5.2%). New forest grew on about 1,290 hectares, while 579 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 Gangneung
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Donghae City31.1 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 50%
- Air quality
- 81
- Wŏnju93.1 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 21%
- Air quality
- 82
- Chuncheon100.9 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 16%
- Air quality
- 82
- Chungju120.0 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 6%
- Air quality
- 86
- Yeoju120.5 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 28%
- Air quality
- 77
- Andong132.6 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 34%
- Air quality
- 75
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Frequently asked
Questions about Gangneung
What is the air quality (AQI) in Gangneung right now?
The latest reading for Gangneung shows an AQI of 73 (Moderate), measured Nov 12, 02:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is 주문진읍, 16.3 km away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Gangneung today?
At AQI 73 (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 Gangneung been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Gangneung's daily AQI at 47 on average, from 34 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 88 on Nov 4. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Gangneung lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Gangneung has lost about 1,170 hectares of forest (about 1,600 football pitches): 8.8% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 357 hectares (31%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Forest loss is slowing down: about 31 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 74 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Gangneung grew from about 13,600 hectares to 14,300 hectares, a net gain of about 708 hectares (+5.2%). New forest grew on about 1,290 hectares, while 579 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Gangneung?
Gangneung has an estimated 123,655 trees across the 12.56 km² of land measured — 39.4% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Gangneung need?
Gangneung has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Gangneung's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Hongje-dong, 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 Hongje-dong; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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