[We have air conditioners, but we are too afraid of the electricity bills to turn them on.]

As heatwave warnings continue day after day, residents in the Jjokbangchon area of Daegu are struggling to endure a difficult summer, relying on nothing more than a single electric fan.

The reality of energy poverty is laid bare, as residents endure the summer relying on fans that blow hot air because they cannot afford the electricity costs.

At around 11:00 a.m. on July 14, in a Jjokbangchon area in Seo-gu, Daegu.

Jjokbangchon dwellings are clustered here along winding alleyways.

Perhaps due to the heat, the alleys were quiet with no one passing by.

Passing through the gate of a house with a sign that read "Rooms for Rent," I reached the courtyard.

In a courtyard the size of a typical detached house, about 10 tiny rooms were packed tightly together.

The walls of the buildings appeared thin, and the windows small, making them ill-equipped to withstand the intense sun.

Perhaps unable to bear the heat inside, the doors to every room were wide open from early in the morning.

Some rooms were empty, as residents had left early to escape the heat.

One resident said, "When the sun starts hitting the building in the summer, it gets hot in an instant, so I sometimes leave early to avoid the heat."

Lee (65), who has lived here for over 10 years, was sitting with his shirt off, feeling the breeze from a fan.

Lee’s face was flushed red from the heat.

Although an air conditioner was mounted on the wall right next to the fan, Lee could not bring himself to turn it on due to concerns about the cost.

Inside the room, hot air could not escape, making it feel suffocating with every breath.

"To run the air conditioner, I have to pay 30,000 won a month, which is a very burdensome amount in my current situation," he said with a bitter smile.

Lee had worked as a landscaping laborer for decades, but after he had to stop working due to deteriorating health, he found himself in a position where even paying for air conditioning became a burden.

"In the middle of the day, the fan just blows hot air," he said. "Even if I want to go out, I have nowhere to go, so going to the neighborhood park is the best I can do."

He added, "It happens every year, so now I just endure it, thinking, 'There is nothing I can do.'"

Kim (86), a resident of a neighboring Jjokbangchon, is also spending the summer with just a fan.

He injured his back and has to wear a thick support belt all day, which he says is agonizing in this weather because of the sweat.

"I turn on the air conditioner only for a very short time when it gets too hot to bear," he said. "In the summer, the Jjokbangchon area boils from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m."

He then laughed, saying, "This level of heat isn't even the real heat yet."

Shin Eun-kyung, a manager at the Seo-gu Jeil Comprehensive Social Welfare Center, said, "Summer is a difficult time for Jjokbangchon residents because it is hard to sleep at night and difficult to engage in outdoor activities during the day due to the hot sun. We are distributing summer-related items, such as ice water, to provide at least some help."

According to the Daegu Regional Meteorological Administration, temperatures in Daegu, where a heatwave warning is in effect, soared to 34.3°C (94°F) as of 1:00 p.m. that day.

Based on Automatic Weather System (AWS) readings, temperatures exceeded 35°C (95°F) in areas such as Seobyeon-dong, Buk-gu (35.1°C / 95°F) and Sinam-dong, Dong-gu (34.9°C / 95°F).

Daegu is forecast to reach a high of 36°C (97°F) for the day.

The Daegu Metropolitan Government has been accepting applications for the energy voucher program since last month for those vulnerable to energy costs.

The support amount ranges from 295,200 won to 701,300 won depending on the number of household members.

A Daegu city official said, "In the case of Jjokbangchon, because there were no individual electricity meters for each unit, we have provided retroactive support by reimbursing electricity bills paid the following year. Starting this year, to strengthen support for Jjokbangchon, we have introduced a pre-application method so that electricity bill support can be received sooner than before."

(Photo: Yonhap News)