[Anchor]
You have likely seen shops in the summer leaving their doors wide open while running air conditioning at full blast. Merchants say they have no choice if they want to attract even a few more customers.
Reporter Kim Minjun covered the scene.
[Reporter]
Walking around Myeong-dong like this, you will often find that there are not as many shade structures as you might think, making it quite hot.
This is especially true during severe heat waves like the ones we have been seeing lately. While passing by, you sometimes feel a pleasant burst of cool air, and that is especially the case in front of stores operating with their doors open while running their air conditioners strongly, as you can see behind me.
This is what is called open-door air conditioning. You can even see shops leaving their two-story entrance doors wide open entirely, and foreign tourists are spotted gathering in front of stores to enjoy the cool breeze.
Let us compare the temperatures.
When we measure the temperature of the street around a store operating with its doors closed, you can see it registers high in yellow and red.
When we measure the temperature around a store just across the street operating with its doors open, you can see the temperature drops to a darker navy blue than before.
[Myeong-dong Tour Guide: Honestly, it feels nice and cool when the air conditioner breeze comes out from the side, and it catches your eye if it is cool.]
Amid recent heat waves, more than half of the major commercial districts in Seoul and the metropolitan area were found to be engaging in open-door cooling.
[Hyeong Ji-hyeok / Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province: There have been times when I intentionally went inside for a moment to cool off and then came back out. To be honest, it feels like it wastes a lot of energy.]
Although it consumes about 1.7 times more electricity, merchants say they have no other option.
[Merchant: It affects our sales, so we have no choice. People walk by, feel the cold air, and come in. Even after paying, there are many people who sit here for a while before leaving.]
Except for exceptional circumstances ordered by the government due to shortages in reserve power, local government crackdowns are not taking place.
[District Office Official: There needs to be an official notice for us to impose fines or take strong regulatory measures. During normal times, we focus on public relations and campaigns.]
In fact, the last time fines were issued for open-door cooling was in the summer of 2016, when a power crisis was anticipated.
(Video reporting: Kang Si-woo | Video editing: Kim Yun-sung | Design: Cho Su-in)
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