Yellow dust covers part of South Korea, Japan

SEOUL, South Korea – The U.S. has snow and South Korea's got yellow dust.

It's mostly blowing in from China and Mongolia and it's thick enough to cause respiratory illnesses.

The dust carries bacteria and industrial pollutants.

Doctors recommend canceling all outdoor activities but people in Seoul are rushing to work anyway, some wearing facemasks.

The annual yellow dust season here is arriving a little early.

Normally, it's from March to May.

Japan usually gets a lot of this dust in April and May.

The Japanese are especially worried about the smaller dust particles because some research has linked them to lung cancer.