City report · Gangwon-do, South Korea
Wŏnju Air quality today
Air quality in Wŏnju currently reads AQI 82 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 82
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 25.5
- tree cover
- 21.0%
- trees in this area
- 66.0K
- more trees needed
- 28.3K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Galmeori 2-gil, Wonju-si, Gangwon-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.
Wŏnju · AQI 82 (Moderate)
Wŏnju's tree count comes to 65,973 trees across 12.57 km², 9 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 28,274 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Wŏnju today: AQI 82, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 12, 03:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · 중앙동(강원), 300 m away · median of 3 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
25.5
PM10
35.0
NO₂
26.6
O₃
17.3
SO₂
5.8
CO
572.8
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 Wŏnju's daily AQI at 59 on average, from 49 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 86 on Nov 9.
Where Wŏnju stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Wŏnju: Below target
21.0% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
65,973
Target trees
94,247
More trees needed
28,274
CO₂ if planted / yr
622.0 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Wŏnju lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Wŏnju has lost about 1,440 hectares of forest (about 2,000 football pitches): 9.1% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 650 hectares (45%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from June 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km south of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,440 haabout 2,000 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 9.1%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 650 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 50 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 66 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2016, when about 138 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 | 15 ha | 16 ha | 30 ha |
| 2002 | 12 ha | 17 ha | 29 ha |
| 2003 | 14 ha | 12 ha | 25 ha |
| 2004 | 32 ha | 22 ha | 53 ha |
| 2005 | 28 ha | 17 ha | 46 ha |
| 2006 | 27 ha | 13 ha | 39 ha |
| 2007 | 21 ha | 32 ha | 53 ha |
| 2008 | 29 ha | 30 ha | 59 ha |
| 2009 | 74 ha | 36 ha | 110 ha |
| 2010 | 39 ha | 24 ha | 63 ha |
| 2011 | 30 ha | 28 ha | 58 ha |
| 2012 | 47 ha | 30 ha | 77 ha |
| 2013 | 8 ha | 18 ha | 26 ha |
| 2014 | 32 ha | 43 ha | 74 ha |
| 2015 | 37 ha | 83 ha | 120 ha |
| 2016 | 26 ha | 112 ha | 138 ha |
| 2017 | 36 ha | 43 ha | 79 ha |
| 2018 | 14 ha | 31 ha | 44 ha |
| 2019 | 18 ha | 28 ha | 46 ha |
| 2020 | 9 ha | 13 ha | 22 ha |
| 2021 | 12 ha | 26 ha | 38 ha |
| 2022 | 26 ha | 43 ha | 69 ha |
| 2023 | 23 ha | 34 ha | 57 ha |
| 2024 | 29 ha | 24 ha | 53 ha |
| 2025 | 13 ha | 21 ha | 34 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Wŏnju?
- Loggingcan grow back54% · 785 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good45% · 650 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
- 17,400 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 16,400 ha
- Overall change
- −976 haless forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Wŏnju shrank from about 17,400 hectares to 16,400 hectares, a net loss of about 976 hectares (−5.6%). New forest grew on about 152 hectares, but 1,130 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 Wŏnju
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Yeoju28.2 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 28%
- Air quality
- 82
- Chungju41.7 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 6%
- Air quality
- 86
- Icheon-si45.2 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 36%
- Air quality
- 121
- Chuncheon61.1 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 16%
- Air quality
- 77
- Hwado65.5 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 53%
- Air quality
- 112
- Hanam68.6 km
South Korea
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 83
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Frequently asked
Questions about Wŏnju
What is the air quality (AQI) in Wŏnju right now?
The latest reading for Wŏnju shows an AQI of 82 (Moderate), measured Nov 12, 03:00 local time by 3 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is 중앙동(강원), 300 m away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Wŏnju today?
At AQI 82 (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 Wŏnju been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Wŏnju's daily AQI at 59 on average, from 49 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 86 on Nov 9. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Wŏnju lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Wŏnju has lost about 1,440 hectares of forest (about 2,000 football pitches): 9.1% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 650 hectares (45%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 50 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 66 hectares a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Wŏnju shrank from about 17,400 hectares to 16,400 hectares, a net loss of about 976 hectares (−5.6%). New forest grew on about 152 hectares, but 1,130 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Wŏnju?
Wŏnju has an estimated 65,973 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 21.0% tree cover, 9 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Wŏnju need?
Wŏnju needs roughly 28,274 more trees to close a 9-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 622.0 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Wŏnju's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Galmeori 2-gil, 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 Galmeori 2-gil; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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