[Anchor]
The relentless heat wave continues to cause a rising number of casualties. The death toll has reached 19, and a total of 186 heat-related illness cases were reported on the day before yesterday (August 2), marking the highest daily count this year. Amidst this disaster-level heat wave, even going out to the market to buy groceries is no easy task.
Reporter Jeong Jiyeon visited a traditional market where merchants are sighing over the steep downturn.
[Reporter]
A traditional market in Seoul.
Although it should be bustling with customers at this hour, the streets are quiet and deserted.
Viewed through a thermal imaging camera, the entire market is glowing red.
[Ahn Sun-hwa / Gangseo-gu, Seoul: I need to hurry home. Even if I want to buy more, I can't walk around. It's just too hot to do anything.]
The temperature at the market has now exceeded 38°C (100°F).
Lacking a roof, the area is directly exposed to the blazing sunlight.
In front of shops that use open flames, standing for even a short moment brings about dripping sweat from the intense heat.
Merchants are letting out deeper sighs.
[Jung Im-pyo / Traditional Market Merchant: If we turn on the fans, the fish dries out, so we have to manage them with ice. Even if we can't sell them all in a day, we use 20 to 30 blocks of ice... We just have no choice but to endure like this.]
With the weather being extremely hot, an increasing number of people are choosing online delivery over visiting the market in person.
[Lee Jin-soo / Gangseo-gu, Seoul: I tend to place more online delivery orders. For fresh foods, since it's so hot here, they might spoil a bit while moving around.]
The university district in Sinchon, which is usually packed with young people.
Foot traffic has completely dried up under the scorching sun.
While the stores remain completely empty, the air conditioners cannot be turned off.
[Son Richi / Fried Chicken Restaurant Owner: We currently have three air conditioners and six fans running in our store. From a small business owner's perspective, dealing with the burden of electricity bills while having no customers come in is a double whammy.]
Experts point out that considering the disaster-level heat wave conditions, tangible support such as cooling cost subsidies for small business owners is urgently needed.
[Ryu Pil-sun / Specialized Committee Member, Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business: Measures to alleviate the burden of electricity bills are necessary, such as allowing credit card payments for small business owners' electricity bills or providing partial tax refunds.]
Plunging customer numbers combined with soaring air cooling costs are expected to deepen the distress of merchants for some time to come.
(Video Reported by Kim Nam-sung | Video Edited by Lee Seung-yeol | VJ: Noh Jae-min)
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