[Anchor]

Seoul's daytime temperature soared to 38°C (100°F), marking the 4th hottest August day on record since weather observations began. Nowon-gu even surpassed 40°C (104°F). Even the blowing wind was hot, making it feel as if the entire city had stepped into a traditional Korean sauna.

Our first report comes from reporter Im Jihyeon.

[Reporter]

Today, on the afternoon of August 7, we observed the Gangnam-gu Office Station intersection in Seoul using a drone equipped with a thermal imaging camera.

Everything from the asphalt to the exterior walls of buildings was completely dyed in crimson red.

The entire city looked as though it had transformed into a giant furnace.

With ground and building temperatures soaring to a staggering 48°C (118°F), it was difficult to walk around without blocking the sun with a parasol.

[Won Jin-hee / Gangnam-gu, Seoul: I don't think there has been a week as hot as this. Isn't it Ipchu (the onset of autumn)? The word Ipchu feels meaningless, and it seems like it's going to get even hotter for a while.]

The Han River, visited in hopes of a cool river breeze, was filled only with the sweltering heat of the heatwave.

The Han River resting areas, which would normally be crowded with people, were virtually empty because of the scorching weather.

People gathered under the shade of a bridge to escape the sunlight even for a brief moment,

[Kang Gwan-uk / Mapo-gu, Seoul: Even when the river breeze blows, it feels so hot that my head hurts here.]

The breath-stealing heat is now starting to feel terrifying.

[Park Yun-o / Yangcheon-gu, Seoul: I walked for about 10 minutes just now, and it feels like a sauna or a dry steam room, but even worse than that.]

Seoul's daytime high today reached 38°C (100°F) based on official observation stations.

This was recorded as the hottest day of the year and the 4th hottest day in history since weather observations began in 1908.

At 3:28 PM, monitoring equipment installed in Nowon-gu pointed to 40.2°C (104°F), marking the first time temperatures exceeding 40°C (104°F) have been observed in Seoul since August 2018.

Deokpung-dong in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province reached 40.8°C (105°F), Gwangyang in South Jeolla Province hit 40.2°C (104°F), and Daegu reached 39.9°C (100°F), with highest temperatures hovering around or above 40°C (104°F) in places across the country.

The Korea Meteorological Administration lowered the severe heatwave warnings issued for most of the Seoul metropolitan area, western Gangwon Province, and the Honam region to regular heatwave warnings as of 6 PM today.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
(Video Reported by Choi Dae-woong | Video Edited by Park Ji-in)