City report · South Pyongan, North Korea
Paek'ak Air quality today
Air quality in Paek'ak currently reads AQI 97 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 97
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 32.5
- tree cover
- 4.9%
- trees in this area
- 15.4K
- more trees needed
- 78.9K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Mundok-kun, Phyeongannamto, Korea (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 26, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Paek'ak · AQI 97 (Moderate)
Paek'ak's tree count comes to 15,394 trees across 12.57 km², 25 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 78,854 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Paek'ak today: AQI 97, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 04:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 6 ground-station cities within 245 km, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Estimate · model corrected with 6 station cities within 245 km, e.g. Sinuiju and Dandong
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
32.5
PM10
59.6
NO₂
16.1
O₃
19.0
SO₂
8.0
CO
331.0
- 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 Paek'ak's daily AQI at 68 on average, from 38 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 129 on Nov 11.
Where Paek'ak stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Paek'ak: Critically low
4.9% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
15,394
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
78,854
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,735 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Paek'ak lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Paek'ak has lost about 3 hectares of forest (about 4 football pitches): under 1% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was logging (23%), after which forest can grow back. Almost none of it was deforestation, meaning forest cleared for good.
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 3 haabout 4 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 2006, when about 2 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 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 | 2 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 | under 1 ha | under 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 Paek'ak?
- Loggingcan grow back23% · under 1 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good19% · under 1 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown52% · 2 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
- 2,370 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 2,790 ha
- Overall change
- +426 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Paek'ak grew from about 2,370 hectares to 2,790 hectares, a net gain of about 426 hectares (+18%). New forest grew on about 430 hectares, while 5 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 Paek'ak
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Sunch’ŏn28.3 km
North Korea
- Tree cover
- 19%
- Air quality
- 156
- P’yŏngsŏng33.2 km
North Korea
- Tree cover
- 31%
- Air quality
- 139
- Kaech’ŏn36.1 km
North Korea
- Tree cover
- 14%
- Air quality
- 173
- Pyongyang49.4 km
North Korea
- Tree cover
- 24%
- Air quality
- 80
- Man’gyŏngdae-ri52.6 km
North Korea
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 72
- Kangsŏn58.6 km
North Korea
- Tree cover
- 33%
- Air quality
- 72
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Frequently asked
Questions about Paek'ak
What is the air quality (AQI) in Paek'ak right now?
The latest reading for Paek'ak shows an AQI of 97 (Moderate), observed Nov 11, 04:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 6 ground-station cities within 245 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 Paek'ak today?
At AQI 97 (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 Paek'ak been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Paek'ak's daily AQI at 68 on average, from 38 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 129 on Nov 11. On 2 of those days the average was above 100, unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Paek'ak lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Paek'ak has lost about 3 hectares of forest (about 4 football pitches): under 1% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was logging (23%), 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 Paek'ak grew from about 2,370 hectares to 2,790 hectares, a net gain of about 426 hectares (+18%). New forest grew on about 430 hectares, while 5 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Paek'ak?
Paek'ak has an estimated 15,394 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 4.9% tree cover, 25 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Paek'ak need?
Paek'ak needs roughly 78,854 more trees to close a 25-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,735 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Paek'ak'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 Mundok-kun; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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