Korean farmers sue utility giant KEPCO over climate damage to crops
As harvest season approached last November, farmer Ma Yong-un walked through his apple orchard in southern South Korea with a growing sense of dread. The Fuji apples hanging from the trees were pale, lacking the deep red color that signals sweetness and commands a good price. To make matters worse, many were splitting open as they ripened. An unusually rainy fall had blocked the sunlight needed for proper coloring, following one of the hottest summers on record. "I had never seen this kind of cracking before," Ma, 55, told UPI on his farm in Hamyang, a rural county in South Gyeongsang Province. "I was so stressed. I was worried about my family's survival." A late dry spell before the harvest helped salvage some color, but another year of punishing weather had taken its toll. Ma estimated that half his apples were not of good quality. Across South Korea, similar stories have become increasingly common. Farmers are facing mounting losses from heat waves, heavy rainfall, droughts and shifting growing seasons -- impacts scientists widely link to climate change. Now, their experiences are movin
Feb 23, 2026By UPI
