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

I read an article on the Internet earlier that Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, also has severe smog. When I first read this article, I was very surprised. 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 known as the "garden city". How can there be such a serious pollution phenomenon as smog? With this question, when I travel to North Korea, I pay attention to the air quality and visibility in Pyongyang every day, but I found that it 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 in Pyongyang and see if I could find the legendary smog. Finally, I found a layer of smoke hanging over Pyongyang. Is it fog or haze?

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 170 meters high, and it is also one of the tallest buildings in Pyongyang. The top floor of Yangjiao Island Hotel overlooks the urban landscape of Pyongyang.

Overlooking Pyongyang in the Yangjiao Island Hotel in the morning, you can find that the upper smog hangs 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. Yangjiao Island Hotel is located on an island in the middle of the river.

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

This is a high-rise building in the west area of Pyongyang, located in a high-grade residential area. Between the residential area and Datong River is a broad green belt with dense trees, which looks like the air quality is very good.

The focus is 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 zone is mainly concentrated in the East Zone.

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

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

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

Zooming in with a telephoto lens, the main thought tower in the distance is clearly visible. The main idea tower is a landmark building in Pyongyang and one of the tallest buildings in Pyongyang. The torch at the top of the tower is 20 meters high. The most spectacular thing is that at night, the whole Pyongyang can see the red torch. The scene is spectacular. You can see a layer of smoke floating under the main thought tower.

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

I am not an expert, and I don't know whether this smog over Pyongyang is fog or smog, so I consulted the Internet and listed the differences between fog and smog on the Internet: First, the colors are different, the fog is milky white, and the smog is yellow or orange-gray. Second, the vertical height is different. Fog appears near the ground, the vertical height is only a few hundred meters, and the fog can reach the height of 1 km to 3 km. Judging from these two points, the smoke I saw over Pyongyang is probably fog.

The next day, I climbed to the top floor of the hotel and enjoyed the beautiful morning light in Pyongyang. Sunlight penetrated the fog layer over Pyongyang and shone on the calm Datong River. Magnificent and beautiful, it feels a bit like the light of Jesus.

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

Only after a while, the fog on the river gradually dispersed, 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 and will last for several days.

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

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