South Korea - The Korea Times

As temperatures soar, open doors at stores fuel energy waste debate

As a relentless heat wave grips Korea, stores in the country’s busiest shopping districts are keeping their doors wide open, blasting air conditioning to draw in heat-weary passersby. The practice, locally known as “open-door cooling,” is drawing renewed scrutiny as temperatures soar and concerns mount over energy waste and environmental impact. Around 1 p.m. in Myeong-dong’s downtown shopping district, where temperatures hovered near 36 degrees Celsius, nearly every shop along a 300-meter stretch near Myeongdong Station — 50 out of 54 stores surveyed — kept their doors open, blasting out air conditioned air that spilled onto the sidewalks. “It’s too hot, let’s take a break in here,” a passerby in her 30s said to her companion, pointing at a nearby Olive Young health and beauty product chain store. “I needed a new eyeliner anyway.” Lee, 45, who runs a food shop in the district, said there is “a 100 percent difference between keeping the door open and closed.” “If we keep the doors closed, customers just don’t come in, especially in this sweltering weather.

Jul 8, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

As temperatures soar, open doors at stores fuel energy waste debate

Seoul posts record temperature of 37.7 C for early July, marking hottest day in 117 years

The temperature in Seoul soared to 37.7 degrees Celsius at around 3 p.m. Tuesday, the highest temperature ever recorded for early July in the capital since record-keeping began in 1908, the state weather agency said. The record was broken after 86 years as the previous record high for the first 10 days of July in Seoul was 36.8 degrees filed for July 9, 1939, according to the agency. This became Seoul's hottest day for early July in 117 years since temperature observations began in 1908, it noted. Besides Seoul, new high temperature records for early July were set in many other cities nationwide -- Incheon (35.6 degrees), Wonju of Gangwon Province (35.4 degrees), Suwon of Gyeonggi Province (35.7 degrees), Cheongju of North Chungcheong Province (35.7 degrees), Daejeon (36.3 degrees), Gochang of North Jeolla Province (35.8 degrees) and Busan (34.5 degrees), the weather agency said. The sweltering weather may slightly ease around Friday but will continue again later due to the influx of hot and humid air from the south, it said. The heat wave is forecast to persist until some rainfall in the

Jul 8, 2025By Yonhap

Seoul posts record temperature of 37.7 C for early July, marking hottest day in 117 years

Worried your dog has ticks? This weird smartphone trick can help you spot them

As summer brings more outdoor adventures for dogs, pet owners are on high alert for ticks — tiny but dangerous parasites capable of transmitting serious diseases. Now, a clever trick using just a smartphone filter is helping dog owners spot ticks more easily on their pets’ skin and fur. Despite using routine prevention methods like spot treatments or oral medications, dogs can still pick up ticks during walks or playtime. Early detection, especially in hard-to-see areas, is key to preventing infections. Experts say the easiest way to spot ticks or small insects in your dog’s fur is by using your phone’s magnifier app with a color inversion filter. When you shine the camera on your dog’s skin using this feature, ticks become much more visible. Ticks often hide in areas that are difficult to inspect with the naked eye, such as between the toes, under the tail, around the ears and along the belly. Most wild ticks measure just 3 to 5 millimeters and easily go unnoticed. They typically latch onto pets after clinging to grass or bushes. To activate the filter, iPhone users can open t

Jul 8, 2025By Youn Ye-jin

Worried your dog has ticks? This weird smartphone trick can help you spot them

Seoul records 9th consecutive tropical night

Seoul experienced its ninth consecutive tropical night between Monday and Tuesday, the state weather agency said, forecasting the capital's daytime high will rise up to 36 degrees Celcius. Seoul's lowest nighttime temperature was 26.9 degrees Celcius, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). A tropical night refers to a phenomenon when nighttime temperatures stay above 25 degrees Celcius from 6:01 p.m. to 9 a.m. the following day. By contrast, the east coast city of Gangneung escaped the tropical night after eight days, recording a temperature of 24.9 degrees Celcius at 3:20 a.m. Tuesday, the KMA said, adding the heat wave has slightly weakened along the east coast due to the change in wind direction. Almost all other parts of the country, including Busan, Daegu, Gwangju and Daejeon, suffered another tropical night between Monday and Tuesday, the agency noted.

Jul 8, 2025By Yonhap

Seoul records 9th consecutive tropical night

Seoul braces for scorching 36-degree heat wave this week

Korea is bracing for a relentless heat wave this week, with meteorologists warning that the worst is yet to come for Seoul and the western regions. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) upgraded heat wave advisories to warnings for the capital and much of the west on Monday, with temperatures in Seoul expected to reach 36 degrees Celsius throughout the week. Heat wave warnings covered 122 of the nation’s 183 weather zones. Another 55 areas remained under advisories. A heat wave advisory is issued when temperatures are expected to reach 33 degrees Celsius or higher for more than two days. A heat wave warning is issued when highs of 35 degrees or above are forecast to persist for over two days, with the potential to cause serious health risks and disruptions across affected regions. As the mercury soared across the Korean Peninsula, the capital found itself particularly vulnerable to the early onslaught of summer's fury. For Seoul, this marks the first heat wave warning of the season, a striking 18 days earlier than last year's record-setting heat. Forecasts show that daytime high

Jul 7, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Seoul braces for scorching 36-degree heat wave this week

Season's first heat wave warning issued for Seoul

The state weather agency on Monday issued the season's first heat wave warning for all parts of Seoul. The warning was issued as of 10 a.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. It was issued 18 days earlier than July 25 of last year, when the country experienced the worst heat wave ever. A heat wave warning is issued when the highest sensible temperature is expected to reach 35 degrees Celcisus or higher for two or more consecutive days or when major damage is anticipated from the heat.

Jul 7, 2025By Yonhap

Season's first heat wave warning issued for Seoul

Heat wave to get more severe, weather agency says

The heat wave gripping the country will become even more severe, beginning this week, pushing up the daily maximum temperature to 37 degress Celsius in some regions, the state weather agency said Monday. Seoul and almost all parts of the nation have been put under a heat wave advisory or warning over the past week, due to the influx of hot and humid air from the southwest. Amid the weeklong tropical nights nationwide, in which nighttime temperatures stay above 25 degrees, Gangneung, an east coast city, experienced the so-called "super tropical" night Sunday with the temperature dropping to only 30.8 degrees overnight, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). It will be recorded as the lowest daily temperature for July in Gangneung, whose previous record was 30.4 degrees observed only four days earlier, the KMA noted. The agency said the daily high will reach 37 degrees in the southeastern city of Daegu on Monday, while daytime temperatures will be 32 degrees in Seoul and Busan, 34 degrees in Daejeon, and 35 degrees in Gwangju.

Jul 7, 2025By Yonhap

Heat wave to get more severe, weather agency says

Korea steps up emergency measures to combat lovebug infestation

Korea is ramping up its response to a severe outbreak of lovebugs, or Plecia nearctica, that has blanketed the Incheon region and caused widespread inconvenience for residents. The Ministry of Environment announced Friday that it has dispatched 37 emergency personnel to Mount Gyeyang in Incheon, where the infestation is the most severe, to conduct urgent pest control operations. The ministry’s emergency teams, working alongside Gyeyang District officials, have used air blowers, insect nets and water-spraying equipment to remove adult bugs from affected areas. Large-scale cleanup operations also took place to collect and dispose of dead insects, which have created foul odors. Authorities have also installed light-based insect traps because of the bugs’ attraction to light. The ministry is also expanding its collaboration with local governments, including Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, for the activation of a 24-hour task force added to the existing joint response system with Seoul and the National Institute of Biological Resources. Although lovebugs are harmless to humans — they do

Jul 5, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Korea steps up emergency measures to combat lovebug infestation

Korea sees hottest average temperature for June on record

Korea recorded the hottest average temperature for June on record as the nation was hit by heat waves and tropical nights, according to the weather agency Friday. The country recorded an average temperature of 22.9 degrees Celcius last month, 0.2 degrees Celcius higher than last year, marking the hottest June ever since 1973, when South Korea began actively collecting weather data, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). The KMA said temperatures were higher on average last month due to high-pressure systems that formed to the southeast of the country, leading to warm and humid southwestern winds. On June 18, the eastern coastal city of Gangneung saw the country's first tropical night of the year, followed by 12 other areas across the country the next night. A tropical night refers to a phenomenon when nighttime temperatures stay above 25 degrees Celcius from 6:01 p.m. to 9 a.m. the next day. The country also saw 187.4 millimeters of rain last month, compared with the 30-year average of 148.2 mm of rain in June.

Jul 4, 2025By Yonhap

Korea sees hottest average temperature for June on record

Unprecedented marine heat waves fuel fishery disaster in Korea

Korea’s coastal fisheries are on high alert as an early and intense heat wave has rapidly raised sea temperatures, triggering mass fish deaths and prompting government intervention. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the National Institute of Fisheries Science issued high sea temperature advisories for 23 regions including Jeju, the West Sea and the southern coast, effective 6 p.m. Thursday. The sea temperature warning level was elevated from level 1 “attention” to level 2 “caution” in a five-tier system, after average water temperatures in key areas soared by 2 to 4 degrees Celsius in just five days. For example, Jeju’s Jungmun saw the daily average sea temperature jump from 22.1 degrees on June 28 to 25.6 degrees on Thursday. Similar spikes were recorded in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, and Yeosu, South Jeolla Province. The ministry has warned that this year’s high-temperature trend is developing faster and more intensely than last year, with advisories issued more than a week earlier than in 2024. Sea surface temperatures in Korea’s coastal waters are projec

Jul 4, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Environment & Animals