Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has pledged some 27 trillion won, or around 19 billion U.S. dollars, to implement a five-year comprehensive plan to reduce the country’s fine dust levels.

Presiding over a meeting of the special committee on fine dust on Wednesday, Han said the current five-year plan, which ends this year, helped reduce the annual average ultrafine dust density from 26 micrograms per cubic meter in 2016 to 18 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023.

By spending an additional seven trillion won over the next five years, the government intends to reduce both fine dust and greenhouse gas levels from key sources of emissions, better manage pollutants near residential areas, and increase protection for vulnerable groups.

The prime minister promised to lower the ultrafine dust density to 13 micrograms per cubic meter by 2029, which would put South Korea in the midrange group among members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.