The city of Yangsan, in the southeast of South Korea, recorded a maximum temperature of 42.5 degrees Celsius this Sunday, setting a new national record amid a heat wave affecting the country.
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According to information provided by the authorities, the record was set after five consecutive days with temperatures above 40 °C.
Much of the country, with 51 million inhabitants, remains under heat alerts, with several cities recording temperatures above 30 °C.
The South Korean meteorological service, which has been recording temperatures since 1904, called on the population to “immediately suspend all outdoor activities”, due to the risks associated with the intensity of the heat wave.
According to that agency, the annual average number of days with heat waves in South Korea has more than doubled in the last five years, rising from eight days in the 1970s to 19 days currently.
The report adds that scientists warn that extreme weather events, such as heat waves, are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change caused by human activity. It also notes that this year is marked by the return of El Niño, a phenomenon that raises the temperature of the Pacific Ocean surface and usually occurs every two to seven years.
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Due to the intensity of the heat, the South Korean government declared the second alert level in the disaster response center, according to the office of Prime Minister Han Seong-sook, via the social network X.
The decision was made due to “the intensification of the heat wave and concerns about damage caused by drought in some regions,” the statement said.
The prime minister had already urged the population last Friday to avoid, as much as possible, outdoor activities during midday hours and to remain alert to the situation.
South Korean meteorological authorities warned that unusually high temperatures will continue throughout the next week.
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