Thick smog and fine dust swamped Pyongyang and the southwestern region of North Korea on Tuesday, imagery broadcast by North Korean state television and data published by air quality tracking websites revealed.

Wednesday afternoon’s 17:00 news bulletin on the Korean Central Television (KCTV) showed Pyongyang residents paying customary tribute to statues of the late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il at the Mansu Hill Grand Monument, with the area engulfed in thick smog.

High levels of air pollution have affected both Koreas this week, with Seoul residents on Tuesday receiving emergency alert warnings cautioning them against spending extended periods of