TOUGHING IT OUT IN THE CITIES
Away from the farms, it has also been a gruelling summer for some workers in urban centres.
Hong Sung-wan, for example, is perched on a cherry picker for several hours a day, installing network cables for South Korean broadcasting company LG HelloVision, “doing something that someone must do under the hot weather”.
“When I have to stay (by) the utility pole for an hour and a half or two, sometimes I get dizzy,” he said. “Whenever that happens, I think about my family, my colleagues around me, and overcome it.”
It could be an episode of heat exhaustion, which occurs when the body overheats. At worst, it could lead to heatstroke, a potentially fatal condition.
Hong feels he must tough it out. “The workers feel that they can’t help but do their jobs,” said the 51-year-old, who has been on the job for 20 years.