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City report · South Pyongan, North Korea

Kangsŏn Air quality today

Air quality in Kangsŏn currently reads AQI 68 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.

Air quality right now

AQI 68

Moderate

Main pollutant: PM2.5
PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
18.7
tree cover
33.2%
trees in this area
86.5K
more trees needed
0

Measured across a 2 km radius around Chollima, Pyongyang, 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.

Kangsŏn · AQI 68 (Moderate)

Dark green marks tree cover detected inside the study radius.Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search, captured Sep 26, 2026

Kangsŏn's tree count comes to 86,465 trees across 10.42 km² of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.

Air quality detail

Air quality in Kangsŏn today: AQI 68, Moderate

Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 19:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 5 ground-station cities within 185 km, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.

Estimate · model corrected with 5 station cities within 185 km, e.g. Kaesŏng and Sinuiju

Health signal

Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.

PM2.5

18.7

PM10

26.4

NO₂

15.5

O₃

41.0

SO₂

13.2

CO

413.0

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 Kangsŏn's daily AQI at 63 on average, from 39 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 158 on Nov 11.

Last 7 daysavg 63 · peak 158
Nov 5: AQI 86 (peak 120)Nov 6: AQI 48 (peak 104)Nov 7: AQI 42 (peak 66)Nov 8: AQI 39 (peak 49)Nov 9: AQI 47 (peak 73)Nov 10: AQI 67 (peak 119)Nov 11: AQI 109 (peak 158)
Nov 5Nov 11

Where Kangsŏn stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest

Tree cover detail

Tree cover in Kangsŏn: Healthy tree cover

33.2% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 10.42 km² of land.

Target reached

Trees in this area

86,465

Target trees

86,465

More trees needed

0

CO₂ if planted / yr

0 kg

Deforestation · 2001–2025

How much forest has Kangsŏn lost?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Kangsŏn has lost about 2 hectares of forest: 1.2% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was wildfires (44%), after which forest can grow back. Almost none of it was deforestation, meaning forest cleared for good.

Satellite image of the area around Kangsŏn, July 2017

2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.

Forest lost since 2001
2 ha
Share of its forest
1.2%of what there was in 2000
Cleared for good
under 1 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest lost each year around Kangsŏn, 2001–2025

Hectares of forest lost each year

Forest lost each year around Kangsŏn, 2001–2025. Use the left and right arrow keys to read each year.0.5

Show the figures as a table
Forest lost each year around Kangsŏn, 2001–2025
YearCleared for goodCan grow backTotal
2001under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2002under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2003under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2004under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2005under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2006under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2007under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2008under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2009under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2010under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2011under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2012under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2013under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2014under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2015under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2016under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2017under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2018under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2019under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2020under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2021under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2022under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2023under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2024under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2025under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha

What is causing deforestation around Kangsŏn?

  • Wildfirescan grow back44% · under 1 ha
  • Towns and roadscleared for good19% · under 1 ha
  • Loggingcan grow back6.3% · under 1 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
546 ha
Forest in 2020
742 ha
Overall change
+196 hamore forest than in 2000

Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Kangsŏn grew from about 546 hectares to 742 hectares, a net gain of about 196 hectares (+36%). New forest grew on about 216 hectares, while 19 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 Kangsŏn

Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.

  • Pyongyang

    North Korea

    18.5 km
    Tree cover
    24%
    Air quality
    74
  • Songnim-ni

    North Korea

    19.9 km
    Tree cover
    23%
    Air quality
    55
  • Namp’o

    North Korea

    26.7 km
    Tree cover
    7%
    Air quality
    64
  • Chaeryŏng-ni

    North Korea

    37.7 km
    Tree cover
    16%
    Air quality
    158
  • P’yŏngsŏng

    North Korea

    42.6 km
    Tree cover
    31%
    Air quality
    135
  • Sariwŏn-si

    North Korea

    50.1 km
    Tree cover
    8%
    Air quality
    55

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Kangsŏn air quality (AQI) and tree cover — measured by Airleaf
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Frequently asked

Questions about Kangsŏn

What is the air quality (AQI) in Kangsŏn right now?

The latest reading for Kangsŏn shows an AQI of 68 (Moderate), observed Nov 11, 19:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 5 ground-station cities within 185 km, US EPA index. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.

Is it safe to exercise outside in Kangsŏn today?

At AQI 68 (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 Kangsŏn been like this week?

Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Kangsŏn's daily AQI at 63 on average, from 39 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 158 on Nov 11. On 1 of those days the average was above 100, unhealthy for sensitive groups.

How much forest has the area around Kangsŏn lost since 2001?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Kangsŏn has lost about 2 hectares of forest: 1.2% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was wildfires (44%), after which forest can grow back. Almost none of it was deforestation, meaning forest cleared for good. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Kangsŏn grew from about 546 hectares to 742 hectares, a net gain of about 196 hectares (+36%). New forest grew on about 216 hectares, while 19 hectares were lost.

What is the tree count in Kangsŏn?

Kangsŏn has an estimated 86,465 trees across the 10.42 km² of land measured — 33.2% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.

How many more trees does Kangsŏn need?

Kangsŏn has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.

How are Kangsŏn'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 Chollima; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.

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