Jung Da-hyun is a reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues in Korea, including foreign residents, education, environment and politics. Driven by a deep interest in people’s stories, she focuses on investigative and feature reporting through direct interviews and field coverage. She received the Amnesty International Korea Media Award for her “Deepfake Crisis at Schools” series. Reach her at dahyun08@koreatimes.co.kr. Always open to hearing your stories.
Early summer heat grips Korea until early next week
Citizens cool off in the shade at Seoul Forest in Seongdong District, Thursday, as unseasonably hot weather swept across the country, with daytime temperatures in Seoul rising to 31 degrees Celsius. Yonhap
By Jung Da-hyun
An early summer heat wave is sweeping across Korea, with temperatures running 5 to 10 degrees Celsius above seasonal norms and expected to persist into early next week.
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) Friday, daytime highs are expected to remain around 31 degrees Celsius during the weekend and through early next week, marking a heat spell that arrived about a week earlier than last year.
Abnormally high temperatures were recorded across parts of the country Thursday.
In Wonju, Gangwon Province, the daytime high reached 31.5 degrees Celsius, marking the highest mid-May temperature since recordkeeping began in September 1971. Paju in Gyeonggi Province also saw a new mid-May record, with temperatures climbing to 30.7 degrees, the highest since observations there began in December 2001.
The heat is forecast to linger for several more days, reaching its peak on Sunday.
Saturday will see morning lows of 12 to 18 degrees Celsius and daytime highs of 23 to 32 degrees, with temperatures rising further on Sunday to 23 to 33 degrees.
Inland areas of North Gyeongsang Province, including Daegu, are expected to experience intense heat, with highs reaching 33 degrees.
The heat is being driven by a high-pressure system creating descending air currents that suppress cloud formation, allowing temperatures to rise more easily. Dry air in the upper atmosphere is further intensifying daytime temperatures.
Despite the heat, temperatures are expected to fluctuate sharply between daytime highs and nighttime lows in the coming days, according to the KMA.
The heat wave is forecast to ease next Wednesday as rain moves across the country. Cloudy conditions are expected to persist after the rainfall.