▲ A worker tends to a field under a parasol in Gyeongsan, Gyeongsangbuk-do, where a heavy heatwave warning was issued on the 27th.
As heavy heatwave warnings were issued for Daegu, Gyeongsan, Pohang, and Gyeongju in Gyeongsangbuk-do, noticeable changes have emerged in citizens' daily lives.
Farmers have stopped working during midday, and pedestrian traffic in urban areas has completely dried up.
People sought relief from the heat by finding cooler spots such as valleys, parks, and shaded areas.
This morning (the 27th), at a community garden complex in Jinnyang-eup, Gyeongsan, heat rising from the ground made it difficult to even stand for a moment in the shade-free area.
Although the surrounding area was enclosed by rice paddies and fields, no farmers were seen working.
Agricultural sprinklers continuously sprayed water to keep crops from withering.
Farmer A, whom we met at a warehouse next to the garden, expressed astonishment, saying, "I come out early in the morning to work for a few hours and stop once the sun rises," adding, "The heatwave is so severe that you could collapse."
After walking around the endless fields for about 10 minutes, we met foreign worker B, who was working with a parasol as shade.
Worker B stated, "I come out at 5 a.m. when it is relatively less hot and finish work before lunch."
Wearing a cooling-fan vest that blew cool air, B gulped down cold water repeatedly before resuming work.
For vulnerable groups worried about electricity bills, seeking out shade or cool spaces in the city has become an important daily routine.
Daegu also showed sweltering weather from early in the morning.
Elderly residents gathered in the shade of the Sincheon riverside banks under Suseonggyo Bridge, soothing the heat by fanning themselves or playing janggi (Korean chess).
As the heatwave continues, the footsteps of vacationers visiting beaches along the East Coast of Gyeongsangbuk-do, including Pohang, have also been relatively sparse.
Vacationers who visited the sea were seen spreading mats in the shade of windbreak forests amidst the hot weather to catch the breeze.
The majority of residents are staying indoors where air conditioning is installed or spending time in valleys and parks with tree shade.
Hhwangseong Park, the green lung of downtown Gyeongju, still features some citizens taking walks thanks to its dense woods, but pedestrians are rare on the sidewalks.
Vacationers continue to visit valley spots such as Oksanseowon Valley in Angang-eup, Gyeongju, and Haok Valley in Jukjang-myeon, Pohang, where they can escape the direct sunlight.
Seo, a Pohang resident in his 40s, said, "Because tropical nights and heatwaves continue these days, I live with the air conditioner running all day long."
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, as of 11 a.m. today, temperatures in the Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do regions included 35.1°C (95°F) in Hwabuk-myeon, Yeongcheon; 34.5°C (94°F) in Oedong-eup, Gyeongju; 34.4°C (94°F) in Gigye-myeon, Pohang and Goryeong; and 34.3°C (94°F) in Gumi.
Temperatures were also recorded at 34.9°C (95°F) in Sinam-dong, Dong-gu, Daegu; 34.8°C (95°F) in Seo-gu; 34.5°C (94°F) in Buk-gu; 34.4°C (94°F) in Habin-myeon, Dalseong-gun; and 33.3°C (92°F) in Hyomok-dong, Dong-gu, the representative observation point.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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