The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has issued a dust storm alert.

The ministry is advising farmers to take precaution to prevent yellow dust from causing respiratory and eye diseases in livestock and damage to crops in vinyl houses due to the lack of sunshine.

For much of Wednesday, Seoul and central parts of the nation were shrouded in yellow dust blown from Inner Mongolia over the Yellow Sea.

The "yellow dust phenomenon" occurs annually in spring, causing respiratory and eye diseases to people.

Weathermen forecast that this year's yellow dust would be the worst in decades. Last year the onslaught of yellow dust forced the cancellation of flights and closure of schools for several days.