South Korean lawmakers have passed a bill that designates fine dust as a 'social disaster.' The government has been under immense pressure to deal with air pollution that's literally choking people in that country.
Bruce Harrison reports from Seoul.
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South Koreans are finding it harder to go outside these days without protection… for their lungs.
The surgical looking face masks block fine dust particles, which surged to a record levels in Seoul earlier this month.
The new designation as fine dust as a 'social disaster' allows the government to allocate special funding for prevention and recovery.
Other newly approved bills relax regulations on the use of cars that burn liquified natural gas and mandate the installation of air purifiers in schools.
South Korea largely blames the fine dust surge on pollution drifting over from China.
But the government acknowledges it needs to curb domestic emissions from cars and coal-fired power plants.
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