Is there really smog in Pyongyang in the early morning of shooting Pyongyang, North Korea? How is the air quality?

I saw an article on the Internet before, saying that severe smog was also found in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. I was very surprised when I first read this article. North Korea is not a country with a very developed industry, and as we all know, Pyongyang's urban greening is very good, and it was once praised as a "garden city". How can there be such a serious pollution phenomenon as smog? With this question, when I travel to North Korea, I will pay attention to the air quality and visibility in Pyongyang every day, but I found that the weather was sunny, blue sky and white clouds almost every day during the days I went. So I changed my strategy and climbed to the top floor of Yangjiao Island Hotel where I stayed every morning to enjoy the early morning scenery of Pyongyang and see if I could find the legendary smog. Finally, I found a layer of smoke hanging over Pyongyang. Is it fog or smog?

Yangjiao Island International Hotel is one of the most luxurious foreign-related hotels in North Korea, with a luxurious appearance. The first floor of the hotel is 17 meters high and it is also one of the tallest buildings in Pyongyang. The top floor of Yangjiao Island Hotel overlooks the city view of Pyongyang.

In the Yangjiao Island Hotel overlooking Pyongyang in the early morning, you can find the upper layer of smog hanging over Pyongyang. Is this fog or the legendary smog?

The clear Datong River flows slowly from the center of Pyongyang, dividing Pyongyang into two parts, and Yangjiao Island Hotel is located on an island in the middle of the river.

Focus on the west bank of the Datong River, which is what the Koreans call Pyongyang West District, which is mainly the political center and commercial center of North Korea and the main residential area of Pyongyang citizens. The most prosperous places in Pyongyang are located in the western part of North Korea. Look closely, there seems to be a thin layer of smoke here.

This is a high-rise building in the west area of Pyongyang, which is located in a high-grade residential area. Between the residential area and the Datong River, there are broad green belts and dense trees. It seems that the air quality is very good.

Focus on the east bank of the Datong River, which is what Pyongyang people call the East Zone. According to the North Korean tour guide, Pyongyang's industrial zones are mainly concentrated in the East Zone.

It can be seen that the scenery in the eastern part of Pyongyang is really different from that in the western part. The buildings here are relatively low, and the smoke in the eastern part is thicker than that in the western part.

In the pictures I took, I can see that there are many factory chimneys in the East District, and some chimneys are smoking white smoke. It is undeniable that the smoke from these factories will cause urban air pollution, but it is hard to say whether it can form smog.

The buildings in the east area are shrouded in smoke, and you can vaguely see the high-rise buildings and factories under construction, and there are some cranes on the construction site.

zoom in with 2 telephoto lens, the main thought tower can be clearly seen in the distance. The main thought tower is a landmark building in Pyongyang and one of the tallest buildings in Pyongyang. The torch at the top of the tower is 2 meters high, and the most spectacular thing is at night. The red torch can be seen all over Pyongyang, and the scene is spectacular. You can see a layer of smoke floating below the main thought tower.

From the height of Yangjiao Island Hotel, you can clearly see the rolling mountains in the suburbs of Pyongyang.

I'm not an expert, and I don't know whether this layer of smog over Pyongyang is fog or smog, so I looked up the Internet and listed the differences between fog and smog: First, the colors are different, the fog is milky white, and the smog is yellow or orange-gray. Second, the vertical height is different, the fog appears near the ground, the vertical height is only a few hundred meters, and the fog can reach a height of 1 km to 3 km. From these two points of view, it is very likely that the smoke I saw over Pyongyang is fog.

The next day, I climbed to the top floor of the hotel to enjoy the beautiful morning scenery of Pyongyang. Sunlight penetrated the fog layer over Pyongyang and shone on the calm Datong River. It was imposing and beautiful, and it felt a little like the light of Jesus.

taking advantage of the good morning time, I quickly came to the courtyard of the hotel downstairs to enjoy the beautiful morning scenery on both sides of the Datong River.

After only a short time, the fog on the river gradually cleared away, and the buildings along the Datong River gradually became clear before my eyes. There is also a significant difference between fog and smog, that is, fog has the characteristics of locality and short time, which mostly occurs at night and early morning, and will weaken and dissipate as time goes by. The smog has a gradual formation process, which will last for several days.

In the early morning of Yangjiaodao Hotel, there are many magpies and other birds playing in the yard.

A cleaner is cleaning the courtyard of the hotel carefully, not even letting go of a leaf. Today, the per capita green area of Pyongyang has reached 58 square meters, with flowers and plants everywhere and fresh air, and it is known as the "garden city". Will there really be smog in such a city? What do you think?