Working Under Scorching Sun, Enduring Tropical Nights Without AC: Vulnerable Seniors

[Anchor]

Seniors are inevitably the most vulnerable to the relentless, scorching heat wave continuing day after day. However, many elderly people in our neighborhoods still have to go out onto the streets to make a living, and must endure tropical nights using just a single electric fan.

Reporter Yun Nara has the details.

[Reporter]

In an alleyway in Busan where daytime temperatures soared past 39°C (102°F).

Grandma Choi pulls a handcart up the alley under the hot sun.

Her face is soon covered in beads of sweat.

The pile of recycled paper, stacked as high as her height, looks precarious enough to spill over at any moment. Even after enduring the intense heat to collect this much waste, the money she gets in her hands is only around 2,000 to 3,000 won.

[Grandma Choi (Surname Choi): I do not want to do it, but I have no money. I pick them up at dawn, pile them up like this for a day or two, and then sell them.]

Grandma Hwang Soon-duk, who sells vegetables, relies solely on a single parasol to weather the extreme heat.

She has to withstand the sweltering heat radiating from the ground, but she cannot easily close up shop.

[Hwang Soon-duk / Street Vendor: I come out because I live in poverty. I have to do it to make a living.]

Suffocating heat waves are also raging in Gangwon Province.

The temperature of the rooms, heated up during midday, shows no sign of dropping even after night falls.

[Shin Pil-nam / Wonju, Gangwon Province: That is why I stay inside and do not go out, only going out when it is cool. When I sweat, I get dizzy and my vision gets blurry. Then I just do not go out. No matter what.]

It would be nice to have an air conditioner installed, but money is the problem.

[Choi Geum-ja / Wonju, Gangwon Province: Installing an air conditioner costs money now, and plus, electricity bills are also an issue. So we just cannot do it. We just lie down and live with a single fan.]

Elderly people engaged in outdoor labor at an advanced age are especially vulnerable to extreme heat, and many live alone, making it difficult for them to receive timely help even if heat-related illnesses occur.

[Ha Tae-hwa / Director, Babsang Community Comprehensive Social Welfare Center: Elderly people, those with disabilities, or those with chronic illnesses may find it difficult to cope. And in cases where their social network is severed, it is even difficult for them to ask for help.]

Experts point out that during periods of extreme heat waves, local governments must provide more active support, such as checking up on vulnerable groups and providing cooling supplies.

(Video reporting: Hwang Tae-chul (KNN), Lee Kwang-soo (G1 Broadcasting) | Video editing: Kim Jin-won)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.