Sweltering Heat Around the Clock... Sharp Rise in Heat-Related Illnesses Even in the Morning

[Anchor]

Sweltering weather continues even during the morning and evening hours these days. As heat-related illnesses are surging outside of peak daytime hours, caution is strongly advised.

Reporter Park Ha-jeong has the details.

[Reporter]

Traffic is directed without a moment to rest at an intersection under the scorching sun without a single patch of shade.

Even at 11 a.m., the temperature of the asphalt road has exceeded 40°C (104°F).

Taking a brief moment to find shade and swallow salt tablets has become an essential routine.

[Park Jong-rae: The ultraviolet rays feel stronger than last year. I am wearing an air-conditioned vest and drinking plenty of cold water.]

Traditional market shoppers are fanning themselves continuously.

With oil boiling vigorously, the whole fried chicken alley feels like a steam room starting from the morning.

[Kim Ki-wook: It is hot and scorching. Business has slowed down a bit. Because the weather is hot, customers are not coming out.]

This year, the number of heat-related illness patients reported in Seoul between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. reached 32, which is 1.5 times that of the same period last year.

Experts suspect the causes are morning temperatures failing to drop due to tropical nights, along with morning recreational sports activities like running becoming more active compared to previous years.

Nationwide, heat-related illness patients occurring between 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. account for 47%, while those occurring between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m. make up 23%.

[Hwang In-jun / Head of Department of Nephrology, Heemyung Hospital: When relentless heat continues day and night due to tropical nights like these days, heat-related illnesses can easily become a serious problem even in the morning.]

Casualties from heat-related illnesses are striking regardless of the time of day, such as a woman in her 90s dying while doing farm work from early morning on the 23rd in Goseong, South Gyeongsang Province, and a foreign worker dying after doing weed-cutting work outdoors starting from the morning on the 4th.

(Camera reporting: Kang Dong-cheol, Joo Yong-jin | Video editing: Kim Ho-jin | Design: Lee Jun-ho)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.