City report · North Korea
Kaesŏng Air quality today
Air quality in Kaesŏng currently reads AQI 81 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 81
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 25.0
- tree cover
- 10.0%
- trees in this area
- 31.4K
- more trees needed
- 62.8K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Kaesŏng, Kaesong, North Korea (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 18, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Kaesŏng · AQI 81 (Moderate)
Kaesŏng's tree count comes to 31,416 trees across 12.57 km², 20 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 62,832 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Kaesŏng today: AQI 81, 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 · 파주, 17.1 km away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
25.0
PM10
29.5
NO₂
17.2
O₃
53.6
SO₂
5.4
CO
458.2
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 Kaesŏng's daily AQI at 48 on average, from 21 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 100 on Nov 5.
Where Kaesŏng stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Kaesŏng: Critically low
10.0% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
31,416
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
62,832
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,382 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Kaesŏng lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Kaesŏng has lost about 6 hectares of forest (about 8 football pitches): under 1% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. Almost none of it was deforestation, meaning forest cleared for good.
2017: satellite photo from September 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 6 haabout 8 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- under 1%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- under 1 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2011, when about 1 hectare 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 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 Kaesŏng?
- Loggingcan grow back78% · 5 ha
- Wildfirescan grow back1.7% · under 1 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown22% · 1 ha
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
- 2,000 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 3,080 ha
- Overall change
- +1,080 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Kaesŏng grew from about 2,000 hectares to 3,080 hectares, a net gain of about 1,080 hectares (+54%). New forest grew on about 1,120 hectares, while 40 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 Kaesŏng
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Paech’ŏn-ŭp22.3 km
North Korea
- Tree cover
- 29%
- Air quality
- 54
- Gimpo-si41.1 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 22%
- Air quality
- 97
- Goyang-si42.8 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 46%
- Air quality
- 97
- Yangju47.1 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 33%
- Air quality
- 73
- Uijeongbu-si50.2 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 23%
- Air quality
- 81
- Ch’ŏngdan-ŭp54.1 km
North Korea
- Tree cover
- 2%
- Air quality
- 52
Also compared:Kaesŏng vs PyongyangKaesŏng vs HamhŭngKaesŏng vs Namp’oKaesŏng vs Sunch’ŏn
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Frequently asked
Questions about Kaesŏng
What is the air quality (AQI) in Kaesŏng right now?
The latest reading for Kaesŏng shows an AQI of 81 (Moderate), measured Nov 12, 01:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is 파주, 17.1 km away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Kaesŏng today?
At AQI 81 (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 Kaesŏng been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Kaesŏng's daily AQI at 48 on average, from 21 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 100 on Nov 5. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Kaesŏng lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Kaesŏng has lost about 6 hectares of forest (about 8 football pitches): under 1% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. Almost none of it was deforestation, meaning forest cleared for good. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Kaesŏng grew from about 2,000 hectares to 3,080 hectares, a net gain of about 1,080 hectares (+54%). New forest grew on about 1,120 hectares, while 40 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Kaesŏng?
Kaesŏng has an estimated 31,416 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 10.0% tree cover, 20 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Kaesŏng need?
Kaesŏng needs roughly 62,832 more trees to close a 20-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,382 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Kaesŏng's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Kaesŏng, 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 Kaesŏng; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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