When Korea was ranked 136th out of 146 countries in the 2002 Environmental Sustainability Index, and 120th out of 122 countries for air quality, the South Korean government and major stakeholders recognized that air quality needed major attention.

The Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Construction and Transportation, Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy, and Ministry of Environment worked together with “The Alliance,” a group of non-governmental environmental organizations and major auto industries throughout Korea to start addressing urban air quality. The initiative focused particularly on the Seoul Metropolitan Area of South Korea where the primary concern is PM_10,...