No, it’s not the Yellow Rose of Texas.

It’s the Yellow Dust from China. Every spring, the sands of the Gobi Desert are whipped up into a massive dust cloud that sweeps over parts of Asia. Every spring, the cloud of dust settles on Korean cities for 2-3 days at a time before being blown or rained away. This year, the dust has come more often than any year since 1990. It makes your eyes water and burn, your throat itch and your nose sniffle. You can’t really see it, but you feel as though you’re covered in grime. The latest cloud arrived on Wednesday, and should blow away by the weekend. It’s such a shame, because in every other respect, Korean springs are gorgeous.