서강대학교

초록/요약

The significant increase in the presence of fine dust in Korea in recent years has gone past being viewed as a mere environmental concern, and has emerged as a major economic, social, and diplomatic issue for the country. Considering the alarming degree of fine dust and increased use of fossil fuels, factors leading to these issues cannot be isolated to domestic factors alone. A significant factor to be considered is the air pollution from across Korea’s borders. In the realm of environmental cooperation, the need for such collaboration is often agreed by the parties involved and experts alike, but there has not been much success in laying the institutional foundation for which agreements can be effectively binding. Long-distance air pollution that transcends the jurisdiction of individual states is not just a matter limited to the concerns of the countries involved; rather, it is an issue that requires a joint response with neighboring states. Regrettably, existing practical and long-term response measures to reduce pollutants remain largely at a low level. As such, this study aims to present policy implications to counter the increasingly alarming degree of air pollution in Northeast Asia by analyzing the issue vis-à-vis the European Convention on Long-range Trans-boundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP) and the Mediterranean Sea Pollution Negotiations. The result of this analysis suggest that the measures implemented in Europe and the Mediterranean cases cannot simply be duplicated in Northeast Asia. Therefore, Northeast Asia countries should actively devise and promote a regional consultative body that would play the same role as CLRTAP in Europe.