"Even 100 Tons Disappear Instantly": Ice Factories Run at Full Capacity Amid Nationwide Demand

[Anchor]

While the sweltering heat is miserable for most, there is one place that welcomes it: ice factories. To meet skyrocketing demand, these facilities are reportedly running 24 hours a day without a break.

Reporter Im Jihyeon visited one of the sites.

[Reporter]

An ice factory in Incheon.

Large ice-making machines run incessantly, pouring out ice about the size of two fingers into the storage warehouse.

The warehouse can hold a maximum of about 100 tons of ice, but the mountain of ice empties in less than a day.

Orders have been pouring in since the heatwave began, forcing the factory to operate around the clock.

[Park Byeong-jun / Director, Gyeongin Ice Manufacturing: We are working without even being able to sleep. Because orders keep piling up, there is hardly any time for ice to accumulate in the freezer....]

After automatic packaging, the ice is shipped to fish markets across the country.

Upon arrival at the markets, the ice is placed into merchants' coolers and generously spread across display tables.

Refilling the ice several times a day is part of the merchants' daily routine to keep seafood fresh even in the scorching heat.

Though of a different kind, convenience stores are also busy restocking ice cups amid the persistent sweltering heat.

This is because customers seeking ice cups have noticeably increased.

Ice cup sales at one convenience store chain surged by about 30% last month compared to June.

[Jang Ae-suk / Convenience Store Owner: As more people look for iced Americanos, I think the number of people buying ice cups has increased by about 40% compared to last year. Even customers just buying ice cups alone have increased a bit compared to last year.]

As the record-breaking heatwave continues for over a week, businesses that produce cold and refreshing items are also sweating to keep up with the surging demand.

(Camera Cooperation: Park Hyun-chul | Video Editing: Kim Jun-hee | Design: Lee Jun-ho)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.