City report · Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea
Gimcheon Air quality today
Air quality in Gimcheon currently reads AQI 71 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 71
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 20.0
- tree cover
- 30.6%
- trees in this area
- 96.1K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Seongmo-gil, Gimcheon-si, Gyeongsangbuk-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.
Gimcheon · AQI 71 (Moderate)
Gimcheon's tree count comes to 96,133 trees across 12.57 km², already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Gimcheon today: AQI 71, 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 · 평화남산동, 400 m away · median of 3 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
20.0
PM10
34.0
NO₂
24.5
O₃
33.4
SO₂
6.5
CO
647.3
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 Gimcheon's daily AQI at 61 on average, from 43 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 112 on Nov 4.
Where Gimcheon stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Gimcheon: Healthy tree cover
30.6% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
96,133
Target trees
96,133
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Gimcheon lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Gimcheon has lost about 660 hectares of forest (about 920 football pitches): 5.1% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 270 hectares (41%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km southeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 660 haabout 920 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 5.1%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 270 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2010, when about 62 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 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2003 | 2 ha | 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2004 | 12 ha | 2 ha | 15 ha |
| 2005 | 3 ha | 4 ha | 6 ha |
| 2006 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 4 ha |
| 2007 | 8 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2008 | 12 ha | 5 ha | 17 ha |
| 2009 | 15 ha | 34 ha | 50 ha |
| 2010 | 18 ha | 44 ha | 62 ha |
| 2011 | 8 ha | 14 ha | 23 ha |
| 2012 | 11 ha | 8 ha | 19 ha |
| 2013 | 14 ha | 13 ha | 27 ha |
| 2014 | 11 ha | 33 ha | 44 ha |
| 2015 | 5 ha | 45 ha | 50 ha |
| 2016 | 10 ha | 28 ha | 37 ha |
| 2017 | 17 ha | 11 ha | 28 ha |
| 2018 | 14 ha | 43 ha | 56 ha |
| 2019 | 12 ha | 11 ha | 23 ha |
| 2020 | 12 ha | 8 ha | 20 ha |
| 2021 | 13 ha | 6 ha | 18 ha |
| 2022 | 27 ha | 12 ha | 39 ha |
| 2023 | 18 ha | 19 ha | 37 ha |
| 2024 | 6 ha | 37 ha | 42 ha |
| 2025 | 18 ha | 8 ha | 26 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Gimcheon?
- Loggingcan grow back58% · 382 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good37% · 243 ha
- Mining and energycleared for good4.2% · 27 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
- 15,300 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 15,100 ha
- Overall change
- −232 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Gimcheon stayed about the same size, at about 15,100 hectares: new forest grew on about 177 hectares, and about 408 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 Gimcheon
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Gumi19.4 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 56%
- Air quality
- 93
- Sangju32.8 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 17%
- Air quality
- 88
- Daegu50.8 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 4%
- Air quality
- 73
- Gyeongsan-si64.8 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 19%
- Air quality
- 73
- Daejeon70.6 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 14%
- Air quality
- 79
- Andong73.2 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 34%
- Air quality
- 71
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Frequently asked
Questions about Gimcheon
What is the air quality (AQI) in Gimcheon right now?
The latest reading for Gimcheon shows an AQI of 71 (Moderate), measured Nov 12, 01:00 local time by 3 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is 평화남산동, 400 m away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Gimcheon today?
At AQI 71 (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 Gimcheon been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Gimcheon's daily AQI at 61 on average, from 43 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 112 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 Gimcheon lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Gimcheon has lost about 660 hectares of forest (about 920 football pitches): 5.1% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 270 hectares (41%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Gimcheon stayed about the same size, at about 15,100 hectares: new forest grew on about 177 hectares, and about 408 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Gimcheon?
Gimcheon has an estimated 96,133 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 30.6% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Gimcheon need?
Gimcheon has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Gimcheon's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Seongmo-gil, 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 Seongmo-gil; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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