The environment in Seoul is worrying not only yesterday also today. So, we became senseless about Seoul's environmental problem. On the road, filled with smoke, and in subway stations, filled with minuteness dust, we don't recognize how dangerous the environment is. Some days ago, I read a book. The book's title is 'The age of sick children' and it is about the environment of Seoul.
 The writer is a man who has a plan to be a father and an environmental scholar. He delivers messages that "Seoul is not a place where people can live any more! We must leave Seoul urgently. If all people can't leave from Seoul, we should move at least our children and pregnant women to some safety place." He added although there is the provinces, if constructions was scheduled to construct a golf course and to redevelop an apartment. There is a dangerous place, too. It is a safety place at least from 2 km away from construction sites. The dust under constructing is harmful to people. But within 5 years, in Seoul, there will not be a region where nothing is being constructed within 2 km. As an ambitious plan about the development of Seoul by Lee Myeng-park, Seoul's environment will be hurt by terrible conditions during 10 years. It well implies that people who live in Seoul will be victims.

 These days, one of three children has 'atopy'. Atopy means a disease that no one knows the cause of it. Its symptom is that the power of resistance of the body is weaken. Atopy, itself makes people painful; however, atopy means that some disease germ and disease can show their attack ability more than in ordinary times. In other words, the disease can be converted as a very serious disease because the defensive opposite power of the body drops down. How must we cope with this problem? There is a short term countermeasure, which is for the  government to cancel all constructions in Seoul and other great cities, and to carry out the restricting of construction work according to whole quantity of construction. The countermeasure should be organized in the following method. First, the government should have all regions of Seoul stopped and then proclaim a preparing period of two years to create a stable atmosphere in Seoul. In two years, they have to make a priority rank about each construction and then, prepare countermeasures which I mentioned above; restricting construction work according to whole quantity of construction. To achieve this program, a building needed in any case would be constructed but constructions to build unnecessary buildings should be interrupted. In nongovernmental circles, it is time to convert the way of construction from rebuilding to fixing an old building.
 As a long-term preparation plan, new economic alternatives and a new philosophy about restructuring are needed.
 This book gave us a chance to think about the environment of Seoul on account of an urgent shout, from some father, that he will escape from Seoul for his kids.
 Last year, people were shocked after the broadcasting of a documentary about the symptoms from a new house. People have lived in our house without a blink or qualm, but, frankly, our house was a place with threats our health. The case of Seoul is the same. Seoul citizens get some benefits that can be gained only from Seoul but the benefits hide our sight about the environment around us and harm our health. However, we don't recognize and trust this fact. Can you trust only if you see it directly? Trust the visible thing is not the whole thing.

by Kim Hyun-jin
Social & Political reporter

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