Seoul residents are crowding Han River parks to escape a prolonged heatwave that has brought continuous tropical nights to the city [1].
This surge in outdoor activity highlights the struggle of urban populations to find relief when indoor cooling becomes insufficient or physically taxing during extreme weather events.
For more than a week, the city has experienced persistent tropical night conditions [1]. In some areas, the perceived nighttime temperature has reached 30 °C [1]. Citizens have gathered at the Hangang parks, utilizing handheld fans, and cooling drinks to manage the heat [1].
The trend is part of a broader national weather pattern. The national average number of tropical night days reached 8.8, which is a record high [2].
Some residents said the outdoor air is preferable to spending all day in air-conditioned rooms. Jin Su-hwang said that using an air conditioner all day caused headaches, and coming outside for fresh air felt better [1].
Other visitors noted that while the evenings are slightly cooler than the afternoons, the heat remains intense. Kang Min-jung said she had been outside for about two hours and noted that although it was less hot than during the day, it was still hot [1].
The concentration of people at the riverfront reflects a common coping mechanism in Seoul, where the proximity to water is often sought to mitigate the urban heat island effect during summer peaks.
“The national average number of tropical night days reached 8.8, which is a record high.”
The record-breaking number of tropical nights in South Korea indicates a shift toward more extreme nocturnal temperatures. When nighttime temperatures fail to drop, the human body cannot recover from daytime heat stress, increasing the risk of heat-related illnesses and placing higher demands on the city's energy grid for cooling.
