S Korea steps up fight against pollution

SEOUL, Mar 13 (Al Jazeera): South Korea on Wednesday ramped up its firepower in its battle against pollution, passing a set of bills that designate the problem a "social disaster" and which could unlock emergency funds to tackle the issue.
Pollution in Asia's fourth-largest economy has been exacerbated by factors including coal-fired power generation and high vehicle emissions, sparking widespread concern among the public and weighing on President Moon Jae-in's approval ratings.
Designating the issue a disaster allows the government to use parts of its reserve funds to help respond to any damage or emergency caused by polluted air. The country's reserve funds stand at up to 3 trillion won ($2.65bn) this year.
Other bills that were passed included mandating that every school classroom should have an air purifier and removing a limit on sales of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) vehicles, which typically produce less emissions than gasoline and diesel.