DPRK hit by sandstorm for 1st time in 2015
Xinhua, February 23, 2015 Adjust font size:
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was hit by a sandstorm on Sunday, with weather forecasters saying the storm, the first of its kind so far this year, will weaken Monday afternoon.
It is not the first time that the DPRK has been plagued by dust storms over the past years. The whole Korean Peninsula is subject to this kind of bad weather, which causes pollution of inhalable particulate matter.
The weather information hotline tells people to mind their health during the sandstorm. Some Pyongyang dwellers chose to wear masks to protect against wind and pollutants.
Meanwhile, South Korea was also influenced by a sandstorm. Warnings are issued recommending the elderly, children and people with chronic bronchitis to stay indoors.
In the two Koreas, the sandstorm is often called Hwang Sa, or Yellow Dust. People are advised to wear special anti-sandstorm masks that can filter out small particles when they have to go outside. Endi