"Ice Packs on My Head": Working in Scorching Heat and Delivering Under the Blazing Sun

[Anchor]

In Seoul, the daytime high reached 33°C (91°F) today, July 13, making people sweat just by standing still. Even in this weather, those who must work outdoors are facing the suffocating heat head-on.

Reporter Lee Se-hyeon met with workers struggling against the heat wave.

[Reporter]

This is footage of the Gwanak-gu area in Seoul captured by a drone thermal imaging camera during the day today.

Not only building rooftops and roofs, but also residential alleyways exposed to the scorching sun are displayed in bright red.

Seoul's daytime high reached 33°C (91°F) today, and a heat wave warning was issued for the northeastern part of Seoul, including Dongdaemun-gu.

Around the same time, at a department store parking lot in Seoul, parking attendants were drying their sweat-soaked clothes in front of air conditioners and continuing their work with portable neck fans.

[Parking Management Staff: When it gets too hot, I even use an umbrella and put ice packs on my head while working. On really tough days, I think I drink about 1.5 liters of water.]

Traditional markets feel even more humid and hot due to the awnings that block the sunlight.

With the added heat from machines roasting sesame seeds at 150°C (302°F), the merchants' clothes never have a chance to dry.

[Park Jeong-ja / Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul: If we don't keep a fan running (on the machine), it will just break down. Even with air conditioners and fans on, it is still too hot.]

A merchant selling vegetables at a stall spends the whole day worrying about freshness.

[Kim Young-yeop / Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul: I have to carry ice packs around. I can't just leave them out. They turn yellow and I can't sell them.]

For delivery riders who have to wear helmets all day, summer is the most painful season.

As they ride on roads heated by the blazing sun for up to 10 hours a day, sweat pours down like rain.

[Kim Ki-jeong / Delivery Rider: The road is the hottest place. Because of the asphalt heat and exhaust fumes, the helmet gets incredibly hot. So, I open it up every once in a while.]

At 5:00 p.m. today, a power outage occurred in the Haneul City area of Yeongjongdo, Incheon, and restoration work is currently underway.

With power out not only in over 2,000 apartment units but also in commercial buildings and hospitals, residents are facing continued inconvenience as they struggle to find places to escape the heat.

Reported by Bae Moon-san and Lee Sang-hak | Video edited by Kim Yun-seong | Designed by Park Cheon-woong
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.