Seoul residents sweat through record 'tropical nights' August 16, 2024

Pedestrians use an umbrella and a portable fan to cool off in Seoul during a prolonged heatwave (ANTHONY WALLACE)

By AFP - Agence France Presse

Seoul residents sweat through record 'tropical nights'

Hieun SHIN

Residents of South Korea's capital are resorting to new ways to beat the heat as a century-old weather record fell on Friday following the 26th consecutive “tropical night” - when the temperature stays above 25 degrees Celsius (77 Fahrenheit).

“I take a cold shower before bed and tie freezer packs around my electric fan to cool the air,” Lee Ji-soo told AFP on Friday.

Night-time temperatures in Seoul have exceeded 25 degrees Celsius for 26 consecutive days, officials said on Friday, marking the longest such streak since modern weather observation began in 1907.

These nights are widely known as “tropical nights” in South Korea.

Much of the world is facing a summer of sweltering weather, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warning last month of an “epidemic of extreme heat” and calling for action to limit the impact of climate change.

The intense heat in Seoul is expected to continue, according to the Met Office, setting a record every day until next week.

“The cold air is not coming from the north,” Youn Ki-han, director of the Seoul Meteorological Forecasting Division, told AFP.

“Normally, at this time of year, the temperature drops in the morning and evening... but at the moment, we're not seeing any signs of that yet,” he said.

As temperatures rise, residents struggle to find ways to cope with the sweltering nights.

“I think I turn on my air conditioning 23 hours a day,” said Kim Young-sook, who lives in the Gangnam district, a wealthy neighborhood of Seoul.

“I'm afraid that my dogs will get too hot, even at night.”

That's not an option for Lee Ji-soo, who puts bags of ice in his fan.

“I have an air conditioner, but I can't afford the electricity bill,” she said.

“The air is sometimes suffocating. I don't know how long I can live like this.”

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Data from the Korea Power Exchange showed that South Korea's electricity demand hit an all-time high on Monday as people battled the heatwave with air conditioners and fans.

Some 102.3 gigawatts were used, surpassing the previous record of 100.6 gigawatts set last August, the agency said.

According to the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), the number of days with temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius in the world's largest capitals has increased by 52% in the last 30 years.

In 2018 alone, Seoul recorded 21 days with temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius, more than in the previous 10 years combined.

“In just one generation, there has been an alarming increase,” said Dr. Tucker Landesman, senior researcher at IIED.

Climate activists in South Korea are calling for more government action.

“There is no chance that this will get better and it is likely to get worse,” Mr. Se-jong, an environmental lawyer, told AFP.

“Strengthening the greenhouse gas emissions reduction target should be the priority,” he added.

Currently, South Korea has the lowest proportion of renewable energy in its energy mix among all OECD countries and is the second largest emitter of coal carbon per capita in the G20, according to energy think tank Ember.

North Korea is also sweltering under a heatwave and issued an alert earlier this week, with central areas, including Pyongyang, affected.

“Severe heat of 33 to 37 (degrees Celsius) is forecast in some areas,” said Kim Kwang Hyok, an official with the State Hydrometeorological Administration.

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