A deadly heat wave is gripping large parts of East Asia, bringing the hottest temperature on record in South Korea and complicating earthquake recovery efforts in Japan.Extreme heat has been linked to 19 deaths in South Korea since mid-May, with President Lee Jae Myung calling it a national disaster on Tuesday.“We need to make efforts for a fundamental overhaul of the national crisis system, since this extreme weather is becoming normal,” he said at a cabinet meeting.
On Sunday, temperatures hit 42.5 degrees Celsius (108 Fahrenheit) in the southeastern city of Yangsan, the highest in 122 years of record-keeping.A woman wearing a full-face mask uses a parasol to shield herself from the sun at the Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea, on Monday.Jung Yeon-Je / AFP via Getty ImagesWhile the abnormally high temperatures have mostly been concentrated in the south, in recent days they have spread north toward the capital, Seoul.For the first time on Tuesday, the Korea Meteorological Administration issued its new “severe” heat wave warning for all of Seoul after issuing it for parts of the city on Monday.
The warning is issued when the maximum perceived temperature is at least 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 F).Residents of the Seoul metropolitan area, which is home to more than 26 million people, were advised to stay indoors, keep hydrated and check on vulnerable groups.Temperatures are also soaring in North Korea, where the state newspaper Rodong Sinmun urged residents to avoid outdoor activities and farmers to protect their produce from the high heat, according to Yonhap.People cooling off under a bridge over the Cheonggyecheon Stream in Seoul on Monday.Greg Baker / AFP via Getty ImagesIntense heat has also complicated disaster relief measures in Japan, where temperatures have exceeded 100 degrees Fahrenheit since a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Kumamoto prefecture on the southern main island of Kyushu on July 28.More than 40,000 households are still w...