"Nobody's Out There": Businesses Stalled by Scorching Heat Waves

[Anchor]

With weather that makes stepping outside frightening and a drop in customers, difficult days are continuing for traditional market merchants and small business owners.

Reporter Jeong Jiyeon toured the scenes.

[Reporter]

A traditional market in Seoul.

It is a time that would normally be bustling with customers, but the streets are quiet.

Viewed through a thermal imaging camera, the entire market is dyed in red.

[Ahn Sun-hwa / Gangseo-gu, Seoul: I have to hurry back. Even if I want to buy more, I can't walk around. It's so hot, there's just nothing I can do about it.]

The temperature at the market has now exceeded 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit).

Because there is no roof, it is directly exposed to the sunlight.

In front of shops that use fire, it is even hotter, to the point where sweat pours down just by standing there for a moment.

Merchants are sighing more frequently.

[Jung Im-pyo / Traditional Market Merchant: If we turn on a fan, the fish dries out, so we have to manage it just with ice. We use 20 to 30 blocks of ice a day even if we can't use them up... We just have no choice but to endure it like this.]

As the weather has become too hot, an increasing number of people are choosing online delivery instead of visiting the market.

[Lee Jin-su / Gangseo-gu, Seoul: I tend to order a bit more through online delivery. For fresh food, since it's so hot here anyway, it might spoil a bit while traveling.]

Sincheon's college district, which is usually packed with young people.

Under the blazing sun, the footsteps of people have completely cut off.

The stores are empty, but the air conditioners cannot be turned off either.

[Son Richi / Fried Chicken Restaurant Owner: We are currently running 3 air conditioners and 6 fans in our shop. From the perspective of a small business owner, dealing with the burden of electricity bills and the lack of customers coming in is a double whammy.]

Experts point out that considering the heat wave situation, which has reached a disaster level, tangible support such as cooling cost subsidies for small business owners is urgently needed.

[Ryu Pil-sun / Specialist Committee Member, Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business: Measures to alleviate the burden of electricity bills are needed, such as allowing credit card payments for small business owners' electricity bills or refunding certain taxes.]

The deep worries of merchants, compounded by abruptly cut-off customers and soaring air conditioning bill concerns, are expected to deepen for a while longer.

(Video by Kim Nam-sung | Video Editing by Lee Seung-yeol | VJ: No Jae-min)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.