City report · Jeollanam-do, South Korea
Suncheon Air quality today
Air quality in Suncheon currently reads AQI 69 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 69
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 19.0
- tree cover
- 45.7%
- trees in this area
- 143K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 2 km radius around Jangcheon-dong, Suncheon-si, Jeollanam-do, South Korea (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 23, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Suncheon · AQI 69 (Moderate)
Suncheon's tree count comes to 142,853 trees across 12.51 km² of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Suncheon today: AQI 69, 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 · 장천동, 100 m away · median of 4 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
19.0
PM10
24.0
NO₂
19.6
O₃
23.9
SO₂
6.2
CO
549.9
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 Suncheon's daily AQI at 51 on average, from 36 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 90 on Nov 4.
Where Suncheon stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Suncheon: Healthy tree cover
45.7% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.51 km² of land.
Trees in this area
142,853
Target trees
142,853
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Suncheon lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Suncheon has lost about 1,250 hectares of forest (about 1,800 football pitches): 8.6% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 230 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 northwest of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,250 haabout 1,800 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 8.6%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 230 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss is slowing down: about 42 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 60 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2009, when about 136 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 | 1 ha | 17 ha | 18 ha |
| 2002 | 1 ha | 19 ha | 20 ha |
| 2003 | 1 ha | 26 ha | 27 ha |
| 2004 | 8 ha | 43 ha | 50 ha |
| 2005 | 5 ha | 31 ha | 35 ha |
| 2006 | 22 ha | 53 ha | 75 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2008 | 31 ha | 82 ha | 113 ha |
| 2009 | 49 ha | 87 ha | 136 ha |
| 2010 | 7 ha | 48 ha | 55 ha |
| 2011 | 2 ha | 42 ha | 44 ha |
| 2012 | 5 ha | 34 ha | 38 ha |
| 2013 | 5 ha | 39 ha | 45 ha |
| 2014 | 3 ha | 41 ha | 44 ha |
| 2015 | 8 ha | 29 ha | 37 ha |
| 2016 | 10 ha | 44 ha | 54 ha |
| 2017 | 20 ha | 60 ha | 80 ha |
| 2018 | 7 ha | 52 ha | 59 ha |
| 2019 | 8 ha | 49 ha | 57 ha |
| 2020 | 5 ha | 48 ha | 53 ha |
| 2021 | 5 ha | 48 ha | 53 ha |
| 2022 | 10 ha | 54 ha | 64 ha |
| 2023 | 8 ha | 38 ha | 46 ha |
| 2024 | 1 ha | 6 ha | 7 ha |
| 2025 | 10 ha | 31 ha | 42 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Suncheon?
- Loggingcan grow back78% · 976 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good18% · 230 ha
- Wildfirescan grow back2% · 25 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
- 17,100 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 17,000 ha
- Overall change
- −103 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Suncheon stayed about the same size, at about 17,000 hectares: new forest grew on about 358 hectares, and about 460 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 Suncheon
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Gwangyang19.0 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 38%
- Air quality
- 86
- Yeosu26.4 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 48%
- Air quality
- 53
- Gwangju56.8 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 7%
- Air quality
- 69
- Chinju60.6 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 42%
- Air quality
- 60
- Masan62.9 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 20%
- Air quality
- 69
- Jeongeup88.9 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 35%
- Air quality
- 72
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Frequently asked
Questions about Suncheon
What is the air quality (AQI) in Suncheon right now?
The latest reading for Suncheon shows an AQI of 69 (Moderate), measured Nov 12, 00:00 local time by 4 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is 장천동, 100 m away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Suncheon today?
At AQI 69 (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 Suncheon been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Suncheon's daily AQI at 51 on average, from 36 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 90 on Nov 4. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Suncheon lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Suncheon has lost about 1,250 hectares of forest (about 1,800 football pitches): 8.6% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 230 hectares (18%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Forest loss is slowing down: about 42 hectares a year in 2021–2025, down from 60 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Suncheon stayed about the same size, at about 17,000 hectares: new forest grew on about 358 hectares, and about 460 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Suncheon?
Suncheon has an estimated 142,853 trees across the 12.51 km² of land measured — 45.7% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Suncheon need?
Suncheon has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Suncheon's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Jangcheon-dong, 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 Jangcheon-dong; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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