"I Love Korea So Much, But... I Didn't Know It Was This Bad"—Foreigners Left Shocked

[Anchor]

The scorching heat that baked the city all day still shows no signs of cooling down. Seoul has seen tropical nights persist for 15 days straight, and tonight (August 6) is expected to bring another restless night to most parts of the country. Let's connect with our reporter live in Myeong-dong, Seoul.

Reporter Dong Eunyeong, the city center must be much hotter than the outskirts. Is it still very hot out there?

[Reporter]

I have been out here on the streets of Myeong-dong for four hours now.

The blazing sunlight during the day was truly exhausting.

Right now, muggy winds continue to blow, making it feel as though I am standing right in front of an air conditioner's outdoor unit.

It is almost 8:00 PM, and the temperature here is currently recorded at 34.3°C (94°F).

A tropical night advisory—issued when nighttime temperatures are expected to exceed 25°C to 26°C—is currently in effect for most of the country.

Tonight is likely to be another night that is difficult to endure without air conditioning.

Tropical nights have persisted for 15 days in Seoul and a staggering 30 days in Jeju.

The nationwide average number of tropical nights has reached 12.6 days, breaking the record for the longest duration compared to the same period in history.

[Anchor]

Even on such a hot night, there still seem to be many tourists out in Myeong-dong.

[Reporter]

Despite the truly sweltering weather, many foreign tourists visiting Seoul could be seen on the streets of Myeong-dong.

A street vendor I spoke with said that the number of tourists visiting the area is similar to usual.

When I asked them what they thought of Seoul's weather, they expressed their deep love for Korea, but also gave these responses:

[Samir and Sandu from Sri Lanka: It is too hot. Korea is much hotter than our Sri Lanka. We sweat so much just walking around, and we think it would be better to stay home with the air conditioner on rather than keep coming outside.]

[Lilit, Maria, and Lilia from Armenia: (Pointing to a parasol) We bought this in Korea. The sunlight here is really, really strong. In our country, people usually do not use umbrellas like this, but here, it is really useful. We have been using it constantly since we arrived three days ago.]

Today's peak temperature reached 33°C (91°F) in Tokyo, Japan, 34°C (93°F) in Taipei, Taiwan, and 35°C (95°F) in Bangkok, Thailand, while Seoul hit 37.9°C (100°F).

There is even a saying going around that Seoul combines the heat island effect of Tokyo, the humidity of Taiwan, and the tropical nights of Bangkok all at once.

The "Mobile Tourist Information" booths, where guides in red uniforms provide directions at major tourist spots like Myeong-dong and Hongdae, have also temporarily suspended operations due to the extreme heat.

(Photo: Joo Yong-jin, Lee Chan-soo | Video by Lee So-young)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.