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The Korea - United States Air Quality Study (May - June 2016) deployed instrumented aircraft and ground-based measurements to elucidate causes of poor air quality related to high ozone and aerosol concentrations in South Korea. This work synthesizes data pertaining to aerosols (specifically, particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters <2.5 micrometers, PM 2.5 ) and conditions leading to violations of South Korean air quality standards (24-hr mean PM 2.5 < 35 μg m -3 ). PM 2.5 variability from AirKorea monitors across South Korea is evaluated. Detailed data from the Seoul vicinity are used to interpret factors that contribute to elevated PM 2.5 . The interplay between meteorology and surface aerosols, contrasting synoptic-scale behavior vs. local influences, is presented. Transboundary transport from upwind sources, vertical mixing and containment of aerosols, and local production of secondary aerosols are discussed. Two meteorological periods are probed for drivers of elevated PM 2.5 . Clear, dry conditions, with limited transport (Stagnant period), promoted photochemical production of secondary organic aerosol from locally emitted precursors. Cloudy humid conditions fostered rapid heterogeneous secondary inorganic aerosol production from local and transported emissions (Transport/Haze period), likely driven by a positive feedback mechanism where water uptake by aerosols increased gas-to-particle partitioning that increased water uptake. Further, clouds reduced solar insolation, suppressing mixing, exacerbating PM 2.5 accumulation in a shallow boundary layer. The combination of factors contributing to enhanced PM 2.5 is challenging to model, complicating quantification of contributions to PM 2.5 from local versus upwind precursors and production. We recommend co-locating additional continuous measurements at a few AirKorea sites across South Korea to help resolve this and other outstanding questions: carbon monoxide/carbon dioxide (transboundary transport tracer), boundary layer height (surface PM 2.5 mixing depth), and aerosol composition with aerosol liquid water (meteorologically-dependent secondary production). These data would aid future research to refine emissions targets to further improve South Korean PM 2.5 air quality., Competing Interests: Competing interests The authors have no competing interests to declare.

To understand the characteristics of air quality in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, intensive measurements were conducted under the Korea-United States Air Quality (KORUS-AQ) campaign. Trace gases such as O 3 , NO x , NO y , SO 2 , CO, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), photochemical byproducts such as H 2 O 2 and HCHO, aerosol species, and meteorological variables including planetary boundary layer height were simultaneously measured at Olympic Park in Seoul. During the measurement period, high O 3 episodes that exceeded the 90 ppbv hourly maximum occurred on 14 days under four distinct synoptic meteorological conditions. Furthermore, local circulation such as land-sea breeze and diurnal evolution of the boundary layer were crucial in determining the concentrations of precursor gases, including NO x and VOC as well as O 3 . During such episodes, the nighttime NO x and VOC and daytime UV levels were higher compared to non-episode days. The overall precursor levels and photochemical activity were represented fairly well by variations in the HCHO, which peaked in the morning during the high O 3 episodes. This study revealed that toluene was the most abundant VOC in Seoul, and its concentration increased greatly with NO x due to the large local influence under stagnant conditions. When O 3 was highly elevated concurrently with PM 2.5 under dominant westerlies, NO x and VOCs were relatively lower and CO was noticeably higher than in other episodes. Additionally, the O 3 production efficiency was the highest due to a low NO x with the highest NO z /NO y ratio among the four episodes. When westerlies were dominant in transport-south episode, the nighttime concentration of O 3 remained as high as 40~50 ppbv due to the minimum level of NO x titration. Overall, the Seoul Metropolitan Area is at NO x -saturated and VOC-limited conditions, which was diagnosed by indicator species and VOC/NO x ratios., Competing Interests: Competing interests The authors have no competing interests to declare.