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Biman Mukherji

Chae Young-sun, a 69-year-old retired government employee living in the South Korean city of Gwangju, has stopped taking daily walks since a searing heatwave began gripping most parts of the country more than a month ago.
“I’m worried about my health because it’s simply too hot to go for a walk,” he said.
“Yesterday afternoon, I finally summoned the courage to take a short walk around my neighbourhood. Even though I stayed under the awnings of a market, I was sweating profusely and had to seek refuge in an air-conditioned pharmacy.”
His caution is understandable. Since mid-May, about 2,200 people in South Korea had been diagnosed with heat-related illnesses while 19 had died, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said on Tuesday.
On July 31, South Korea recorded its hottest day on record when the mercury level rose to 41.4 degrees Celsius in the southeastern city of Yangsan, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.
Calling on Thursday for the mobilisation of all available personnel and resources to combat the heatwave, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung stressed the need to protect lives and implement stronger safeguards for vulnerable residents.

The extreme weather has been equally punishing in Japan, where the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said more than 18,000 people were taken to hospital with heatstroke-related symptoms from July 20 to July 26.
At least 14 people died from heat-related causes over a week in July. The Japan Meteorological Agency urged the public – particularly the country’s elderly residents – to take steps to cool themselves as it issued heatstroke alerts in 41 out of Japan’s 47 prefectures last month.
On Tuesday, Tama Zoological Park in Tokyo said three female lions had died of suspected heatstroke after postmortem examinations found severe dehydration and multiple organ failure, though their exact cause of death was still under investigation.
Climate scientists said the unprecedented heat spell gripping Japan, South Korea and other parts of Asia had been driven by a combination of climate change and the El Nino weather phenomenon.
These conditions have been worsened by rising electricity prices due to an energy crisis stemming from the Middle East conflict, according to analysts.
“Extreme heat in Asia is the result of several factors working together. While El Nino can temporarily raise temperatures by suppressing rainfall, the main driver is long-term human-induced climate change,” said Mariam Zachariah, research associate at Imperial College, London.

The extreme weather had also been exacerbated by dry soil and urban heat islands, making some places more likely to experience record-breaking heat, she said. Urban heat islands are built-up city areas that experience temperatures warmer than in rural areas.
Park Chang-woo, a 37-year-old interior designer in Seoul, said he had stopped wearing regular office clothes because of the extreme heat.
“This is the first summer I’ve had to wear a T-shirt and shorts to construction sites, and my customers understand because of the oppressive heat.”
There is little prospect of cooling relief in the coming days.
The World Meteorological Organization predicted last month that El Nino conditions would continue to intensify and dominate climate patterns between August and October, increasing the likelihood of above-normal temperatures across much of the world.
Anjal Prakash, a climate expert and a professor of public policy at Flame University in Pune, said the relentless heat was especially hard for people over 65 who accounted for a significant proportion of heat-related patients in general.
“The health risks are severe and rapidly escalating,” he said, noting that the crisis was becoming more serious in Asia as surging demand for cooling devices coincided with unstable power supply and energy price shocks.


Zachariah said that cooling-related power generation was becoming less affordable, particularly for middle- and lower-income households. “On the other hand, frequent power outages and voltage fluctuations can disrupt cooling and, in some cases, damage electrical appliances,” she added.
Meanwhile, oil prices have slipped in recent trading sessions. Benchmark Brent crude futures fell 0.42 per cent to US$79.12 a barrel in Asia on Thursday afternoon on hopes of an agreement between Iran and Oman to reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz and a potential deal between Washington and Iran to end the conflict.
Rystad Energy, however, highlighted the sustained risks to gas supply from the Middle East in a report on Wednesday following an attack on an LNG carrier and a drone strike on an Egyptian LNG export terminal last week.
Natural gas powers 10 per cent to 20 per cent of Asia’s energy needs, according to the Asia Natural Gas and Energy Association.
Rising temperatures have also raised concerns of mounting pressure on power infrastructure in Asia.
“For power systems, the challenge is not simply that hotter weather pushes up demand for air conditioning. High temperatures can reduce the efficiency of power plants and grids, drought can constrain hydropower and cooling water, and floods or storms can damage infrastructure,” said Muyi Yang, a senior energy analyst for Asia at Ember, a global energy and climate think tank.

For some elderly people in South Korea, the oppressive heat has not deterred them from carrying on with their daily lives.
At Biseonru, a rest area in Terminal 1 of the air-conditioned Incheon International Airport, many South Koreans in their 70s and 80s have gathered to share snacks while watching planes in motion.
Choe Hak-dong, a 70-year-old retired office worker in Seoul, said some of his friends had taken advantage of the free subway rides for residents aged 65 and older.
“They spend the hottest part of the day riding the well-air-conditioned subway from one end of the line to the other because it doesn’t cost them anything,” he said.
Additional reporting by Park Chan-kyong


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As record heatwave hits Asia, fears of energy crisis and health risks mount

Two tourists use a hand fan and an umbrella to seek relief from the extreme heat in Seoul on Thursday. Photo: EPA

Visitors pass by the cooling fog device at Gwangmyeong Cave tourist site in South Korea on Thursday. Photo: AP

One of the three lions that died of suspected heatstroke at Tama Zoological Park in Hino, western Tokyo. Photo: EPA

A man rests in an air conditioned shelter on a hot day in Seoul on Thursday. Photo: AFP

People carry umbrellas to shelter from the sun in Tokyo on July 23. Photo: AFP

3 lions perish at Tokyo zoo as Japan bakes in ‘cruelly hot’ summer

Three lions have died of suspected heatstroke at Tokyo’s Tama Zoological Park in Japan. Photo: Tokyo Zoological Park Society/Kyodo

A man collects water in front of the damaged Yatsushiro Shrine following a powerful earthquake in Yatsushiro, Japan’s Kumamoto prefecture, on Friday. Photo: EPA

South Korea tightens grip on high-risk ETFs as investor losses mount

A financial data screen in the dealing room of Hana Bank shows the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index having lost 3.08 per cent from the previous session to an intraday low of 6,392.44 in early trading in Seoul, South Korea, on Monday. Photo: EPA/Yonhap

Signage of Samsung Electronics is displayed outside the company’s Seocho building in Seoul, South Korea, on July 30. Photo: AFP

Funeral wreaths calling for the delisting of single-stock leveraged ETFs are displayed near the main gate of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, on July 29. Photo: Yonhap via Reuters

A dealer monitors the market in the dealing room at Hana Bank’s headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, last week. Photo: Korea Times

As more South Koreans shun drinking, Seoul nightlife reinvents to stay relevant

Young clubbers gather to visit clubs and bars on Thursday night in Hongdae, Seoul. Photo: David D. Lee

‘Pocha’ pubs in Seoul’s nightlife areas like Hongdae have seen a decline in customers in recent years. Photo: David D. Lee

The main clubbing area of Itaewon in Seoul as seen on Thursday night. Photo: David D. Lee

Global DJ icon Peggy Gou and Grammy Award-winning artist Anderson Paak perform at Soap Seoul in South Korea in 2024. Photo: Handout

Yann Cavaille, creative director of Soap Seoul in South Korea, spins music for the club’s patrons. Photo: Handout

Patrons at Bolero in Seoul gather at the club’s DJ booth. Photo: Handout

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Asia’s power infrastructure may come under pressure due to high demand for air conditioning amid lingering concerns over energy supply


Asia’s power infrastructure may come under pressure due to high demand for air conditioning amid lingering concerns over energy supply.


As record heatwave hits Asia, fears of energy crisis and health risks mount

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Asia’s power infrastructure may come under pressure due to high demand for air conditioning amid lingering concerns over energy supply

Asia’s power infrastructure may come under pressure due to high demand for air conditioning amid lingering concerns over energy supply