Sleepless in Korea: Prolonged heat wave brings tropical nights

A daytime temperature of 37 degrees is shown on a digital screen in Seoul's Songpa District, Sunday, under a heat wave alert. Yonhap

Nighttime temperatures have remained over 25 degrees Celsius in many parts of the nation as the Korean Peninsula has been gripped by a sweltering heat wave, causing many to have difficulties sleeping.

According to the weather agency on Monday, Seoul's nighttime mercury remained at 28.8 degrees the previous night and the city has had nine consecutive days of tropical nights — a phenomenon where overnight lows stay above 25 degrees. Seogwipo on the south side of Jeju Island has experienced 13 consecutive tropical nights.

Meanwhile, the low in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, was 30 degrees, constituting an "extreme tropical night" where nighttime temps remain at 30 degrees or higher.

Daytime highs also continue to surpass 35 degrees in many parts of the country. The central and local governments are ramping up emergency responses as they battle an unprecedented wave of heat-related health crises, widespread power outages and mass livestock deaths.

Heat alerts are blanketing nearly the entire peninsula, with 180 of 183 weather zones — or 98 percent — under a heat wave watch or heat warning. Of these, 156 have been issued the highest-level heat warnings possible as perceived temperatures of 35 degrees or higher are expected for more than two days.

Even Daegwallyeong, a highland town in mountainous Gangwon Province famous for its cool summers, set a record Sunday when the mercury hit 33.2 degrees.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Sunday, a total of 2,311 people have suffered heat-related illnesses nationwide since May 15. On Sunday evening, a woman in her 90s was found dead in a cornfield in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, with a body temperature recorded at 38.8 degrees Celsius at the time of discovery.

Animals are also struggling to cope. From May 20 to July 24, more than 1 million farm animals have died, more than 10 times the number recorded during the same period last year.

A child plays in a water fountain at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap

The heat is driving up electricity consumption and triggering power outages in Seoul and surrounding areas.

On Sunday night, more than 1,400 households in Incheon’s Yeonsu District and 400 households in Seoul’s Dongjak District lost power, along with some 1,500 units in an apartment complex in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. Authorities suspect surging demand may have caused transformers to fail.

The Korea Meteorological Administration expects the heat to persist, with overnight lows remaining as high as 28 degrees and daytime peaks forecast between 32 and 37 degrees through the end of July.

Some respite is anticipated on Friday with cloudy weather, but daytime highs are still expected to hover around 33 to 34 degrees.

People cool off on the beach during a tropical night in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, Saturday. Newsis

The unyielding heat has also hit Korea’s military hard. Data from Rep. Kang Dae-sik of the main opposition People Power Party shows that 141 service members sought treatment for heat illnesses in the first half of the year — nearly 80 percent of the total for all of 2024, even though the usual peak in cases comes in August.

The Ministry of National Defense, in response to a recent spate of incidents, has enacted new measures this summer, empowering commanders to take rapid action during severe weather. Six prevention directives have been issued to military units so far, amid calls for stricter standards for outdoor activities and more effective, field-level interventions.