Scorching heat changes people's daily routines
People pack the IFC Mall in Yeouido, Seoul, Tuesday. Shopping malls, department stores and movie theaters have become crowded by people seeking air-conditioned indoor facilities to avoid the heat. / Yonhap
By Lee Kyung-min
The scorching heat, which shows no signs of abating any time soon, is compelling people to change their daily routines. Those who are afraid of skyrocketing electricity bills for air conditioning at home are seeking alternative indoor venues where they can spend the day ― or the evening for an event.
The heat has made some office workers early risers so that they can take refuge in their offices where the air conditioning is always on.
“I wake up at around 6 a.m., about an hour earlier than in other seasons, to come to work before 8 a.m. It’s only a one hour difference, but the temperatures and humidity during the early hours are bearable,” an office worker said.
“Also, I don’t go home until long after the sun completely sets. After sunset, it’s much better to go outside and walk home,” she said.
In the case of college students, many seek coffeehouses where they can study and spend time. But as shop owners only allow people to stay for two to three hours if they buy one cup of coffee, some students turn to motels ― they make reservations at motels to group study, watch television, and rest in a cool, dry and temperature-controlled room.
Not only students but also young office workers are increasingly choosing motels where they can have small gatherings.
“A group of my friends wanted to have fun without having to worry about the sweltering heat. We agreed that a motel was the perfect place for us,” an office worker surnamed Jin, 30, said.
Similarly, hotel summer packages have sold out fast, with some major hotels in Seoul maintaining that the demand for their programs has almost doubled compared to last year.
“It is burdensome to turn on the air conditioner at home all night because of the high electric bills. I rather chose to pay more and stay at a hotel, where my family can stay in a cool room as well as enjoy the swimming pool,” a woman with two children in Mapo said.
According to a survey by the lodging reservation app “Yeogieottae,” of 517 users from Sunday to Monday, 72.2 percent said they have visited motels or hotels to avoid the heat. The number of reservations made last week using the app increased by more than 60.2 percent from a month earlier, the survey showed.
Shopping malls, department stores and discount stores are popular places where people can stay cool. As the tropical night phenomenon, in which nighttime temperatures remain over 25 degrees Celsius, continues, the number of visitors to e-mart outlets after 9 p.m. between July 30 and Aug. 5 rose 21 percent from the year before, according to the company.
Movie complexes are also seeing an increasing number of visitors.
According to the culture ministry-supervised Korea Film Council, 21.31 million moviegoers went to a cinema between July 22 and Aug. 6, up 20.9 percent compared to the same period a year earlier.
CGV, the multiplex movie theater chain, said that the audience occupancy rate after 10 p.m. on July 30 was 38.5 percent, nearly twice the 19.6 percent average for the rest of July,.