[Kim Min-jun / Reporter: When walking around areas like Myeong-dong, you often find that there aren't as many shade structures as you'd expect, making it quite hot. This is especially true during severe heatwaves like these days. But as you walk by, you sometimes feel a pleasant, cool breeze that lifts your mood. As you can see behind me, this is particularly noticeable in front of stores operating with their doors wide open while blasting their air conditioners.]

This practice is known as "open-door cooling." You can see stores with two-story-high entrances left completely open, and foreign tourists gathered in front of them, enjoying the cool breeze.

[Kim Min-jun / Reporter: Let's do a temperature comparison. If we measure the temperature of the street near a store operating with its doors closed, you can see it registers high in yellow and red. If we measure the temperature around a store across the street operating with its doors open, you can see it registers lower in a darker navy blue than before.]

[Myeong-dong Tour Guide: Actually, for us, it's nice and cooling when the AC breeze comes out. It catches your eye when it's cool.]

Amid the recent heatwaves, more than half of the major commercial districts in Seoul and the metropolitan area have been found to be engaging in open-door cooling.

[Hyeong Ji-hyeok / Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province: I've intentionally gone inside for a moment to cool down and then came back out. To be honest, it feels like a lot of energy is being wasted.]

Although it consumes about 1.7 times more electricity, merchants say they have no other choice.

[Merchant: It affects sales, so we have no choice. People walk by, feel the cold air, and come in. Even after paying, many people sit here and stay for a while.]

Except for exceptional circumstances ordered by the government due to shortages in reserve electricity, local government crackdowns are not being carried out.

[District Office Official: There needs to be an official notice for us to impose fines or take strong regulatory measures. (During normal times), we focus on promotions and campaigns.]

In fact, the last time fines were issued for open-door cooling was in the summer of 2016, when a power crisis was anticipated.

Blowing the AC with Doors Open in the Heatwave... Why Is This Still Happening? (August 11, 2026, SBS 8 News)

(Reported by Kim Min-jun | Produced by Bae Jun-hwi | Filmed by Kang Si-woo | Video Edited by Kim Yun-sung | Designed by Cho Su-in | Produced by SBS Digital News)