[Anchor]

Professional baseball, which was suspended for the first time in history due to extreme heat, has resumed. As spectators even collapsed from the heat, the KBO revised its game regulations, but more detailed discussions appear to be necessary.

Morning Zoom-in with Reporter Park Ha-jeong.

[Reporter]

During last week's professional baseball games held amid scorching heat exceeding 40°C (104°F),

players complained of dizziness, and two spectators in their 20s even lost consciousness and collapsed, prompting the KBO to hold an emergency meeting and unveil new measures.

The rules now allow games to be canceled if a severe heat wave warning, newly established by the Korea Meteorological Administration this year, is issued or if the perceived temperature reaches 35°C (95°F) or higher.

Moving past reliance solely on peak temperatures to introduce a perceived temperature standard that reflects humidity is a step forward.

However, is this enough?

Around 10 a.m. on August 7, during the Bonghwangdaegi National High School Baseball Tournament, the perceived temperature in Seoul was 33.9°C (93°F), which means professional baseball games could proceed under the new regulations.

Yet, with the ground temperature nearing 66°C (151°F), players complained of dizziness caused by radiant heat rising from the ground.

[Park Jin-sung / Yaro High School BC Catcher (August 7): It is probably easier to understand if you think of it as playing baseball inside a sauna.]

This is why arguments are being raised for the adoption of the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT), an index that comprehensively evaluates the impact of extreme heat on players, including radiant heat rising from the ground.

Around 6 p.m. after the Bonghwangdaegi tournament match concluded,

the reporting team visited the baseball stadium to directly measure the heat stress index.

The WBGT, which factors in humidity and radiant heat, is calculated using a separate formula and appears lower than the ambient air temperature. The temperature measured on the artificial turf was 38.7°C (102°F), while the WBGT was 32.2°C (90°F).

Inside the dugout where players stay, the temperature was 39.1°C (102°F) and the WBGT was 32.9°C (91°F), even higher than on the field.

The Japanese government recommends completely halting outdoor exercise when the WBGT exceeds 31°C (88°F) due to concerns over heat-related illnesses.

[Ham Seung-heon / Professor of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Gachon University Gil Medical Center: You can think of artificial turf, running tracks, and asphalt as retaining a tremendous amount of heat. (The WBGT) measures the heat stress actually felt by a human being, and you can see it as an indicator widely used in the military and sports sectors...]

The WBGT is already being used as an international standard in some sports, including soccer.

(Video by Park Jin-ho | Video Editing by Choi Hye-young | Design by Park Tae-young | VJ by Shin So-young)