KOREven in the same city and under the same heatwave, the perceived heat varies greatly depending on where people live, a survey showed. Areas densely packed with older houses turned out to be much hotter than large apartment complexes with established green spaces.
Reporter Kim Minjun went out for on-site reporting.
[Reporter]
Gaemi Village in Hongje-dong, Seodaemun-gu, considered Seoul's last hillside shantytown.
Old houses are densely clustered together.
This is near the very top of the village.
I walked all the way up here from the entrance myself, and because the slope is so steep, sweat pours from my entire body after just a short walk.
As you can see, however, there are no proper shades or parks to take a short break.
Measured with a thermal imaging camera, the roof temperature approaches 66°C (151°F).
[Nearby Resident: Oh, it's hot. We can't breathe. Because the ceilings are so thin and flimsy. In the evening, the heat beats down downward.]
The heat vulnerability of detached houses is about 1.4 times that of multi-family housing like apartments.
This is because open spaces and roads around the houses are covered with asphalt or cement, preventing heat from dissipating easily.
An apartment complex in Gangnam, Seoul, is a different story.
Green spaces created everywhere provide shade and absorb heat, making it much cooler than areas densely packed with old houses.
[Nearby Resident: It's naturally cooler (with green spaces). Just a moment ago while walking here, I could see heat rising shimmering off the asphalt. Coming here, it's at least a bit cooler.]
While the degree of perceived heatwave varies greatly depending on the residential environment like this, during the entire month of July, days with an average perceived temperature of 35°C (95°F) or higher averaged 8.4 days for the top 10 neighborhood dongs, and 0.8 days for the bottom 10 dongs, showing a difference of more than 10 times.
Areas with high perceived temperatures were regions densely packed with old houses and downtown areas, while the bottom regions were mostly places where large apartment complexes with plenty of green spaces are clustered.
Experts advise that heatwave responses, such as expanding green spaces on public land and improving the living environments of vulnerable groups, should also be carried out in a comprehensive manner.
[Bae Woong-gyu / Professor, Department of Urban Systems Engineering, Chung-Ang University: We should remove walls if possible, and there must be trees so that as the trees sway, pathways for wind movement are formed, and we need to improve them in a form that can vent trapped heat.]
So that the intense heat does not feel different depending on where one lives, meticulous countermeasures tailored to the residential environment are necessary.
(Reported by Lee Sang-hak and Kang Si-woo | Video by Kim Jun-hee | Graphics by Park Cheon-woong)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.
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