City report · Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea
Sangju Air quality today
Air quality in Sangju currently reads AQI 84 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 84
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 27.0
- tree cover
- 17.1%
- trees in this area
- 53.6K
- more trees needed
- 40.4K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Namseong-ro, Sangju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 20, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Sangju · AQI 84 (Moderate)
Sangju's tree count comes to 53,614 trees across 12.54 km² of land, 13 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 40,445 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Sangju today: AQI 84, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 12, 00:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · 상주시, 1.5 km away
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
27.0
PM10
35.0
NO₂
—
O₃
48.7
SO₂
6.3
CO
389.5
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 Sangju's daily AQI at 57 on average, from 46 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 78 on Nov 11.
Where Sangju stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Sangju: Critically low
17.1% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.54 km² of land.
Trees in this area
53,614
Target trees
94,059
More trees needed
40,445
CO₂ if planted / yr
889.8 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Sangju lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Sangju has lost about 733 hectares of forest (about 1,000 football pitches): 5.8% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 135 hectares (18%) 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 west of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 733 haabout 1,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 5.8%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 135 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2025, when about 69 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 | 2 ha | 4 ha | 6 ha |
| 2002 | 10 ha | 7 ha | 17 ha |
| 2003 | 5 ha | 7 ha | 12 ha |
| 2004 | 14 ha | 10 ha | 23 ha |
| 2005 | 7 ha | 10 ha | 17 ha |
| 2006 | 1 ha | 2 ha | 3 ha |
| 2007 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2008 | 6 ha | 10 ha | 16 ha |
| 2009 | 14 ha | 7 ha | 21 ha |
| 2010 | 8 ha | 50 ha | 58 ha |
| 2011 | 6 ha | 17 ha | 23 ha |
| 2012 | 4 ha | 19 ha | 23 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | 9 ha | 10 ha |
| 2014 | 6 ha | 21 ha | 27 ha |
| 2015 | 3 ha | 32 ha | 35 ha |
| 2016 | 5 ha | 25 ha | 30 ha |
| 2017 | 2 ha | 12 ha | 14 ha |
| 2018 | 5 ha | 54 ha | 59 ha |
| 2019 | 1 ha | 41 ha | 42 ha |
| 2020 | 4 ha | 61 ha | 65 ha |
| 2021 | 4 ha | 41 ha | 45 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | 17 ha | 18 ha |
| 2023 | 7 ha | 43 ha | 50 ha |
| 2024 | 3 ha | 47 ha | 50 ha |
| 2025 | 16 ha | 53 ha | 69 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Sangju?
- Loggingcan grow back79% · 579 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good18% · 132 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown2.6% · 19 ha
Also: farms, pasture and plantations, mining and energy, storms, floods and other natural 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
- 14,900 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 14,800 ha
- Overall change
- −160 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Sangju stayed about the same size, at about 14,800 hectares: new forest grew on about 193 hectares, and about 353 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 Sangju
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Gimcheon32.8 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 31%
- Air quality
- 78
- Gumi37.1 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 56%
- Air quality
- 89
- Andong53.0 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 34%
- Air quality
- 70
- Cheongju-si64.8 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 23%
- Air quality
- 115
- Chungju65.8 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 6%
- Air quality
- 82
- Daejeon69.8 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 14%
- Air quality
- 75
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Frequently asked
Questions about Sangju
What is the air quality (AQI) in Sangju right now?
The latest reading for Sangju shows an AQI of 84 (Moderate), measured Nov 12, 00:00 local time by the 상주시 ground monitoring station, 1.5 km away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Sangju today?
At AQI 84 (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 Sangju been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Sangju's daily AQI at 57 on average, from 46 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 78 on Nov 11. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Sangju lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Sangju has lost about 733 hectares of forest (about 1,000 football pitches): 5.8% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 135 hectares (18%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Sangju stayed about the same size, at about 14,800 hectares: new forest grew on about 193 hectares, and about 353 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Sangju?
Sangju has an estimated 53,614 trees across the 12.54 km² of land measured — 17.1% tree cover, 13 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Sangju need?
Sangju needs roughly 40,445 more trees to close a 13-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 889.8 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Sangju's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Namseong-ro, 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 Namseong-ro; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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