S. KOREA-CHINA SIGNS AGREEMENT ON FINE DUST

[Anchor Lead]

Environment ministers of South Korea and China signed an agreement on cooperating to address the fine dust issue, at a meeting held in Seoul on Monday. The two ministers also expressed strong opposition to Japan's discharge of radioactive waste water, from its crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant.

[Pkg]

​​Environment ministers of South Korea and China agreed on a so-called "clear sky plan" at a bilateral meeting, which was the first high-level environmental policy consultation held between the two countries. Under the new agreement, Seoul and Beijing will promote personnel and technology exchanges, while working together to curb car emissions. They also agreed to enhance the precision of fine dust forecasts and to hold an annual air and environment fair to foster related industries.

[Soundbite] CHO MYUNG-RAE(ENVIRONMENT MINISTER) : "The measures are stipulated in a diplomatic document. The two countries' ministers will directly review progress in implementation at annual meetings."

South Korea's environment minister, Cho Myung-rae, said that Beijing is acknowledging the fact that most of the fine dust affecting South Korea comes from China. His Chinese counterpart, Li Ganjie, introduced Beijing's efforts to improve air quality. But, he did not mention the issue of fine dust flying from China over to South Korea.

[Soundbite] LI GANJIE(CHINESE ENVIRONMENT MINISTER) : "The Chinese government places top priority on air pollution and climate change and makes great efforts to tackle them. We have achieved considerably tangible results."

A joint report on detailed fine dust levels will be released both in South Korea and China next week. The two countries also expressed opposition to Japan's plan to discharge radioactive waste water from its crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean. They agreed to take joint action against Tokyo's planned move, noting that it is in violation of international pacts and will have negative impacts on the marine environment.