City report · South Pyongan, North Korea
Kaech’ŏn Air quality today
Air quality in Kaech’ŏn currently reads AQI 173 (Unhealthy): Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so.
AQI 173
Air quality right now
Unhealthy
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 86.8
- tree cover
- 14.2%
- trees in this area
- 44.6K
- more trees needed
- 81.1K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Kaechon, South Pyongan, North Korea (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 26, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Kaech’ŏn · AQI 173 (Unhealthy)
Kaech’ŏn's tree count comes to 44,611 trees across 12.57 km², 26 points below the 40% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 81,053 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Kaech’ŏn today: AQI 173, Unhealthy
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 04:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 2 ground-station cities within 145 km, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Estimate · model corrected with 2 station cities within 145 km, e.g. Sinuiju and Dandong
Health signal
Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so.
PM2.5
86.8
PM10
64.3
NO₂
16.0
O₃
21.0
SO₂
7.5
CO
275.0
- Outdoor exercise
- Everyone should cut down long or hard exercise; sensitive groups should avoid it
- Windows
- Keep them closed
- Mask
- Wear an N95 outdoors
- Air purifier
- Run one
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Kaech’ŏn's daily AQI at 72 on average, from 40 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 131 on Nov 5.
Where Kaech’ŏn stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Kaech’ŏn: Critically low
14.2% tree cover against a 40% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
44,611
Target trees
125,664
More trees needed
81,053
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,783 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Kaech’ŏn lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Kaech’ŏn has lost about 170 hectares of forest (about 240 football pitches): 8.6% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was logging (50%), after which forest can grow back. About 49 hectares (29%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from September 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 170 haabout 240 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 8.6%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 49 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2001, when about 67 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 | 22 ha | 45 ha | 67 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | 2 ha | 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2005 | 1 ha | 9 ha | 10 ha |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | 4 ha | 4 ha |
| 2007 | 8 ha | 19 ha | 27 ha |
| 2008 | 3 ha | 23 ha | 26 ha |
| 2009 | 2 ha | 2 ha | 4 ha |
| 2010 | 2 ha | 6 ha | 8 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | 7 ha | 7 ha | 13 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2019 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Kaech’ŏn?
- Loggingcan grow back50% · 85 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good25% · 42 ha
- Wildfirescan grow back18% · 31 ha
Also: mining and energy, towns and roads, 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
- 3,860 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 4,340 ha
- Overall change
- +481 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Kaech’ŏn grew from about 3,860 hectares to 4,340 hectares, a net gain of about 481 hectares (+12%). New forest grew on about 602 hectares, while 122 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 Kaech’ŏn
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Tŏkch’ŏn31.7 km
North Korea
- Tree cover
- 12%
- Air quality
- 116
- Paek'ak36.1 km
North Korea
- Tree cover
- 5%
- Air quality
- 97
- P’yŏngsŏng50.5 km
North Korea
- Tree cover
- 31%
- Air quality
- 139
- Pyongyang75.1 km
North Korea
- Tree cover
- 24%
- Air quality
- 80
- Man’gyŏngdae-ri81.4 km
North Korea
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 72
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Frequently asked
Questions about Kaech’ŏn
What is the air quality (AQI) in Kaech’ŏn right now?
The latest reading for Kaech’ŏn shows an AQI of 173 (Unhealthy), observed Nov 11, 04:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 2 ground-station cities within 145 km, US EPA index. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Kaech’ŏn today?
At AQI 173 (Unhealthy): everyone should cut down long or hard exercise; sensitive groups should avoid it. Windows: keep them closed. Masks: wear an N95 outdoors. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Kaech’ŏn been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Kaech’ŏn's daily AQI at 72 on average, from 40 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 131 on Nov 5. On 2 of those days the average was above 100, unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Kaech’ŏn lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Kaech’ŏn has lost about 170 hectares of forest (about 240 football pitches): 8.6% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was logging (50%), after which forest can grow back. About 49 hectares (29%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Kaech’ŏn grew from about 3,860 hectares to 4,340 hectares, a net gain of about 481 hectares (+12%). New forest grew on about 602 hectares, while 122 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Kaech’ŏn?
Kaech’ŏn has an estimated 44,611 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 14.2% tree cover, 26 percentage points short of the 40% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Kaech’ŏn need?
Kaech’ŏn needs roughly 81,053 more trees to close a 26-point shortfall against its 40% tree-cover target — about 1,783 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Kaech’ŏn's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality comes from ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ where one reports nearby, and otherwise, as here, from the Open-Meteo / CAMS model, which may differ from street-level monitors. 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 Kaechon; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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