[Anchor]

The heat waves are intensifying day by day. Yangsan in South Gyeongsang Province soared to 41.4°C (107°F) today (the 31st), setting a new all-time high in South Korea's meteorological observation history. Experts analyze that the limit of extreme heat has been breached.

First, reporter Jeong Gu-hui has the details.

[Reporter]

This is the meteorological observation station in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province.

The mercury here skyrocketed to 41.4°C (107°F), marking the highest temperature in 122 years since modern weather observations began in South Korea in 1904.

Yangsan has also recorded temperatures exceeding 40°C (104°F) for three consecutive days for the first time in history.

[Kim Dae-hun / Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province: Just sitting still makes it hard to breathe, and sweat pours out like crazy. I think this is truly unprecedented heat.]

Geumjeong-gu in Busan also hit 40°C (104°F), while Gimhae reached 39.8°C (104°F), Uiryeong 39.7°C (103°F), and Bukchangwon 39.4°C (103°F), setting new records across the Busan and South Gyeongsang regions.

With a man in his 20s with an underlying medical condition passing away in Busan, the death toll from heat-related illnesses this year has risen to 13.

South Korea's annual average temperature has risen from 12°C (54°F) in the 1910s to 14.8°C (59°F) in the 2020s.

Before Yangsan, the previous all-time high temperature was 41°C (106°F) recorded in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province, in 2018.

The North Pacific high-pressure system, the main driver of heat waves in South Korea, tends to develop more strongly as water temperatures rise. Currently, water temperatures around Jeju Island have soared to 30°C (86°F) and the West Sea to 28°C (82°F), about 2°C higher than normal years.

Analysts suggest that the warming of the atmosphere and oceans has pushed the threshold of South Korea's heat waves to extremes.

Severe heat waves are forecasted for tomorrow as well, with Yangsan expected to reach 41°C (107°F).

The variable is a typhoon, but much time remains before it exerts any influence.

Typhoon Dolphin, the 13th typhoon currently moving westward across the Pacific about 4,000 kilometers away from South Korea, is expected to approach Okinawa, Japan, around next Thursday.

Its subsequent path remains fluid.

If it heads toward China or Japan, the heat wave on the Korean Peninsula could become prolonged and more intense.

Because it is expected to temporarily develop into a super typhoon, it could cause severe damage if it heads toward the Korean Peninsula, requiring close attention to the typhoon's trajectory.

(Photo: Jeong Kyeong-mun | Video Editing: Choi Jin-hwa, Design: Jang Chae-woo)