Sept. 7 saw the first observance of International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies in Korea, a day proposed by the Korean government and adopted by the United Nations, at an event held at the hotel Westin Chosun Seoul. The photo above shows the sky above Gyeongbokgung Palace on Sept. 4 after a typhoon passed. (Jeon Han)

By Lee Kyoung Mi and Lee Jihae

The inaugural observance of International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, or Blue Sky Day, was held on Sept. 7 in a ceremony at the hotel Westin Chosun Seoul. The day was suggested by the Korean government and later officially designated by the United Nations.

Eighteen regional governments from Korea, China, Japan and Mongolia were represented including those of Korea's Chungcheongnam-do Province, China's Shandong Province and Japan's Nara Prefecture. They announced a partnership for blue skies through stronger international cooperation to respond to air pollution and climate change.

Sept. 4-11 is the week of the day's first observance since its U.N. designation as set by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Environment. Both ministries also dubbed the period the "week of the blue sky" and are hosting events to raise public awareness of the severity of fine dust and air pollution.

The U.N. Environment Programme said the theme for this year's day is "Clean Air for All" and pledged all efforts to that end. The Korean government said through the sub-theme of "jointly making a blue sky" the world must jointly create blue skies since they are not simply given. 

President Moon Jae-in sent a congratulatory message to the ceremony, pledging stronger policy to reduce CO2 emissions and fine dust and to work with the public to create blue skies.

In September last year in New York, he proposed the day in his keynote address at the U.N. Climate Action Summit. On Dec. 19, the U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution to designate Sept. 7 Blue Sky Day, and the Korean government on Aug. 18 made it a national commemorative day.