The EANET Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) Project Annual Meeting 2025 was successfully held from 15 to 17 October 2025 at the Kim Daejung Convention Center in Gwangju, Republic of Korea. The meeting brought together 25 participants from Cambodia, China, Japan, Mongolia, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, and Viet Nam, and the United States, participating both in person and online. The event was organized by the Network Center for the EANET in collaboration with the Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment (KOSAE).
EANET VOCs Annual Meeting: Reviewing Progress and Future Plans
The EANET VOCs Annual Meeting, held from 15 to 16 October, provided a platform for reviewing project implementation, promoting EANET’s VOC initiatives, and exchanging scientific knowledge on emerging trends in VOC emissions. Opening remarks by Dr. Toshimasa Ohara, Director General of the Asia Center for Air Pollution Research (ACAP), and Prof. Gang-Woong Lee of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies highlighted the urgent need to strengthen VOC monitoring across East Asia to support regional air quality management.
Representatives from Mongolia, the Philippines, Cambodia, and Viet Nam presented progress achieved in 2025 and outlined their implementation plans for 2026, as part of the EANET Project Capacity Building in Promoting VOCs in the EANET. Participants also discussed next steps for the project. In addition, the EANET Network Center introduced the outline of a technical training guidance for VOC monitoring, noting that a drafting committee has been established and a preparation schedule agreed.
KOSAE–ACAP Joint International Symposia
On 15 October, the KOSAE–ACAP Joint International Symposia I and II featured expert presentations on VOC monitoring, source apportionment, and management strategies in East Asia and beyond. Speakers shared recent findings from field campaigns, laboratory studies, and policy-oriented research, highlighting advances in measurement techniques and the role of VOCs in ozone and PM₂.₅ formation.
Plenary Session at the KOSAE Conference
The KOSAE Conference Plenary Session on 16 October offered a broader perspective on VOC emissions and air quality challenges. Dr. Toshimasa Ohara, Director General of ACAP, was invited as one of the three speakers at the Plenary Session. His participation in this internationally recognized session reflects his strong international reputation and outstanding research achievements. Several hundred KOSAE members attended to hear his presentation on “Trends and Future Projections of Anthropogenic VOCs Emissions in East Asia and Japan.”
KOSAE Conference Plenary Session
EANET VOC Seminars: Advancing Technical Knowledge
EANET VOC Seminars 1 and 2, held from 16 to 17 October, focused on advanced monitoring techniques, emission inventories, modeling approaches, and environmental impacts of VOCs, including secondary organic aerosol formation. The seminars also highlighted ongoing and new international collaborative research initiatives.
Closing Remarks
In closing, Dr. Meng Fan, Deputy Director-General of ACAP and the EANET Network Center, expressed sincere appreciation to KOSAE for its strong cooperation in co-organizing the meeting and thanked participating countries, experts, and partner institutions for their continued engagement. He reaffirmed EANET’s commitment to strengthening regional collaboration on VOC monitoring and research to improve air quality across East Asia.
Read the full summary of the event here.