Official data released on Wednesday ( Aug 14 ) on behalf of the peninsula, which shows a streak of extremely hot tropical nights set a century-old record for the region.
As AFP photos showed North people using tents and portable enthusiasts to keep cool, North Korean authorities also issued a caution over “fierce steam” with temperatures of up to 37 degrees Celsius.
The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned last month that the world is experiencing an “extreme heat illness” and called for action to stop the effects of heat waves that have become more severe as a result of climate change.
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, when the heat does not fall below 25 degrees Celsius immediately, the so-called” exotic times phenomenon” occurs.
Seoul experienced its second-longest run since 1907 when it recorded its 24th subsequent tropical day on Wednesday.
The nation will likely break the record of 26 subsequent days by Saturday, with forecasters saying the heat wave will continue into the next year.
According to statistics from Seoul’s inside government, 21 people have died from suspected heat-related reasons so far this year, with hundreds of thousands of cattle also dying.
The South’s high temperatures have caused the withdrawal of three professional sports games this month, the first of its kind to occur in the team’s 43-year history.
South Korea’s heat is “rising at a steep speed”, Chang Dong-eon, the mind of the Korean Meteorological Administration told the Yonhap news company, adding that” indicators of climate change on the island are stronger” than abroad.
” The average temperature of the Korean peninsula over the past three decades ( 1991 to 2020 ) has risen by 1.6 degrees Celsius compared to the 1981 to 2010 period”, Chang said.