A record-breaking heatwave is sweeping across the Korean Peninsula, with temperatures nearing 40°C in both South Korea and North Korea, prompting expanded emergency measures and driving residents to cooling shelters, beaches and water parks.
South Korea’s weather agency warned the extreme heat, now spreading to Seoul and western regions, is expected to intensify and persist alongside tropical nights. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said 14 people have died and 1,889 others have suffered heat-related illnesses since mid-May.
The Korea Meteorological Administration said Yangsan recorded 42.5°C on Sunday, the highest temperature in 122 years of weather records. The government has raised its heatwave alert to the second-highest level, mobilising emergency resources, while power authorities brace for record electricity demand.
The unprecedented heat has disrupted daily life, forcing the cancellation of baseball games in Busan and Changwon, while beaches, water parks and cooling centres have been packed with people seeking relief.
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At Seoul’s Cheonggyecheon stream, resident Park Jin-woo said, “Forty degrees is not a number we used to see in Korea, but now it feels like we see it all the time.”
Another resident, Lee Jub-young, added, “This climate crisis has become something citizens can feel on their own skin.”
North Korea is also enduring the extreme weather, with state media reporting widespread heat advisories and large crowds at coastal resorts and water parks
Reuters
