SEOUL (THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - The extreme heat wave gripping the Korean Peninsula is forecast to reach its highest temperature in the coming days, South Korea's state weather agency said on Tuesday (July 31).

While the daytime high in Seoul rose to 38.3 degrees Celsius around 3pm local time (2pm Singapore time) on Tuesday, the figure is likely rise to 39 deg C on Wednesday, the highest temperature in the city since the government started compiling the data in 1907, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

On Tuesday, KMA issued additional extreme heat wave warnings for Gyeongju and Cheongsong in North Gyeongsang province. The warnings had been issued in almost all regions across the country as the daytime highs rose to over 35 deg C for past few days.

Twenty-seven people have died of heat stroke and more than 2,200 people have been taken to the hospital for heat-related conditions as of Tuesday, according to the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

This year's number of heat casualties appears to have jumped from last summer when 1,574 patients and 11 deaths related to heat were reported.

South Koreans are also enduring days of tropical nights, during which the lowest temperature remains above 25 deg C from 6pm to 9am the next day.

The blistering heat wave with daytime highs hovering around 35 deg C is to continue until the end of this week, according to the weather agency. The temperature is 4 to 7 deg C higher than the last year's average summer temperature.

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"Usually, we see the hottest days early to mid-August. So the hot weather is likely to continue," an official from the KMA told The Korea Herald.

While several factors are behind the extreme heat wave this year, the main cause is the high atmospheric pressure from northern China and southern Mongolia which has expanded to reinforce the North Pacific anticyclone, the official explained.

"Being under high atmospheric pressure means the air from above circulates downward. And because of the clear skies, the air is heated and the cycle has repeated, resulting in the high temperatures," the official said.

In the Cabinet meeting Tuesday, Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon ordered a review of lowering the price of electricity for the socially disadvantaged, viewing the extreme weather condition as a "special disaster" situation.

Interior and Safety Minister Kim Boo-kyum also called for all administrative efforts to be put toward protecting those vulnerable to the hot weather, such as the elderly and said the ministry will designate special agents to check on them.

The minister also ordered active promotion of a campaign which recommends people call their parents to check how they are doing and talk to them about preventing heat-related problems.

Regional governments are also moving to check their heat-related policies, including Seoul which operates daytime heat shelters with air conditioning and monitoring of homeless in public areas.

Gyeonggi provincial government will also conduct inspections to see whether the measures to prevent heat-related accidents are appropriately implemented, in 10 cities from Wednesday until Aug 10. </s> SEOUL, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Seoul recorded its highest temperature ever on Wednesday as a deadly heat wave continues to bake the country.

The temperature in central Seoul hit a record high 103 degrees Fahrenheit, the highest since weather forecasters started tracking temperatures in 1907.

Heat wave warnings have been issued in most of the regions across the country.

At least 27 people have died of heatstroke, as of Sunday, and more than 2,000 people have fallen ill with heat-related symptoms, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The ongoing heat wave has caused more than 350,000 deaths of livestock in the southern province of North Gyeongsang. The North Chungcheong Province also reported some 260,000 livestock deaths.

Food prices have also surged amid the sweltering heat.

Prices for agricultural products jumped by 4 percent last month compared to July of last year, according to a consumer price figure by Statistics Korea, Financial News reported. </s> SEOUL, July 17 (UPI) -- Scorching heat in South Korea has caused four deaths and sent hundreds of people to hospitals for heat-related symptoms.

The number of those hospitalized from heat-related symptoms rose to 285 Sunday, officials said. A total of 551 have been taken to hospitals in the sweltering heat from May to July, the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday.

Forecasters expect the hot days will continue with the mercury expected to stay above 91 degrees Fahrenheit nationwide this week. The temperature stays in the 70s at night.

The Korea Meteorological Administration issued heatwave warnings in most regions Tuesday with temperatures expected to rise to more than 90 degrees.

The heatwave has also caused some 790,000 deaths of livestock with the estimated loss of 4.2 billion won ($3.7 million) at farms in the country, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Yonhap reported.

The intense heat also caused a part of an expressway on the west coast to expand and rise. It's also put a strain on an air conditioning system on the KTX express train, leaving some passengers without air conditioning for hours. </s> Japan recorded its highest temperature ever Monday as a deadly heat wave continued to grip a wide swath of the country and nearby South and North Korea.The mercury hit 41.1 degrees Celsius (106 degrees Fahrenheit) in Kumagaya, a city in Saitama prefecture about 65 kilometers (40 miles) northwest of Tokyo, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. That broke the previous record of 41.0 C in Ekawasaki on the island of Shikoku on Aug. 12, 2013.Two lingering high pressure systems have trapped warm and humid air above the region, bringing record-high temperatures for nearly two weeks. More than 40 people have died in Japan and about 10 in South Korea."It is so hot these days that I cannot figure out whether I am in (South Korea) or in Southeast Asia," said Kim Sung-hee, a student in downtown Seoul, where the temperature rose to 35.7 C (96 F).Ten people have died in South Korea of heatstroke and other heat-related causes this summer, seven of them last week, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday. About 1,040 people have fallen ill because of hot weather from May 20 to July 21, an increase of 61 percent over the same period last year, it said.South Korea's highest-ever morning low was recorded in the city of Gangneung, where the temperature was 31 C (88 F) at 6:45 a.m. The morning low in Seoul was 29.2 C, a record for the country's capital, according to South Korea's weather agency.The mercury hit 39.9 C (103.8 F) in the southeastern town of Hayang, the highest temperature in the country so far this year.In North Korea, residents fanned themselves on crowded trolleys or protected themselves from the sun with brightly colored parasols as temperatures in Pyongyang, the capital, reached 34 C. Weather reports said even higher temperatures were recorded on the country's eastern coast.Thousands of people in Japan have been rushed to hospitals with heat stroke symptoms during the heat wave. Kyodo News agency has tallied more than 40 deaths. Many of the victims have been elderly people who were not using air conditioning.On Monday, nine people died from heat-related causes across Japan, Kyodo said. NHK national television tallied seven deaths.The temperature reached 39 C (102 F) on Monday in central Tokyo, the highest temperature this year. The worst of the heat wave is expected to be over this week.Tourists in Tokyo's historic Asakusa district struggled with the heat. Cosett Romero from Mexico said she and her family were getting headaches."It's difficult to us because we don't have this heat in Mexico," she said.Authorities warned people to stay inside and use air conditioning."The weather recently in Tokyo and across Japan is like being in a sauna," Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike said at a news conference that highlighted the 2020 Summer Olympics, which open in Tokyo two years from Tuesday.She said that the city has been working to address heat concerns for both fans and athletes.The marathon and some other outdoor Olympic events will start early in the morning. Other steps include developing road pavements that emit less surface heat, setting up mist sprays and planting tall roadside trees.Koike also cited traditional ways of cooling in Japan, such as hanging straw screens and spraying water on road surfaces."But our traditional wisdom is not enough to beat the heat like this," she acknowledged, "so we will be using cutting-edge technology." </s> (Yoshiaki Sakamoto/Kyodo News via AP). In this July 18, 2018, photo, people watch the thermometer which reads 41.2 degree Celsius (106.16 degree Fahrenheit) near Tajimi station, Gifu prefecture, central Japan. Searing hot temperatures are forecast fo...

(Jun Hirata/Kyodo News via AP). In this July 20, 2018, photo, people make their way in scorching heat near Tokyo station in Tokyo. Searing hot temperatures are forecast for wide swaths of Japan and South Korea in a long-running heat wave. The mercury...

TOKYO (AP) - Japan recorded its highest temperature ever Monday as a deadly heat wave continued to grip a wide swath of the country and nearby South and North Korea.

The mercury hit 41.1 degrees Celsius (106 degrees Fahrenheit) in Kumagaya, a city in Saitama prefecture that is about 65 kilometers (40 miles) northwest of Tokyo, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. That broke the previous record of 41.0 C in Ekawasaki on the island of Shikoku on Aug. 12, 2013.

Two lingering high pressure systems have trapped warm and humid air above the region, bringing record-high temperatures for nearly two weeks. More than 40 people have died in Japan and about 10 in South Korea.

"It is so hot these days that I cannot figure out whether I am in (South Korea) or in Southeast Asia," said Kim Sung-hee, a student in downtown Seoul, where the temperature rose to 35.7 C (96 F).

Ten people have died in South Korea of heatstroke and other heat-related causes this summer, seven of them last week, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday. About 1,040 people have fallen ill because of hot weather from May 20 to July 21, an increase of 61 percent over the same period last year, it said.

South Korea's highest-ever morning low was recorded in the city of Gangneung, where the temperature was 31 C (88 F) at 6:45 a.m. The morning low in Seoul was 29.2 C, a record for the country's capital, according to South Korea's weather agency.

The mercury hit 39.9 C (103.8 F) in the southeastern town of Hayang, the highest temperature in the country so far this year.

In North Korea, residents fanned themselves on crowded trolleys or protected themselves from the sun with brightly colored parasols as temperatures in Pyongyang, the capital, reached 34 C. Weather reports said even higher temperatures were recorded on the country's eastern coast.

Thousands of people in Japan have been rushed to hospitals with heat stroke symptoms during the heat wave. Kyodo News agency has tallied more than 40 deaths. Many of the victims have been elderly people who were not using air conditioning.

The temperature reached 39 C (102 F) Monday in central Tokyo, the highest temperature this year. The worst of the heat wave is expected to be over this week.

Tourists in Tokyo's historic Asakusa district struggled with the heat. Cosett Romero from Mexico said she and her family were getting headaches.

"It's difficult to us because we don't have this heat in Mexico," she said.

Authorities warned people to stay inside and use air conditioning.

"The weather recently in Japan is like being in a sauna," Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike said at a news conference that highlighted the 2020 Summer Olympics, which open in Tokyo two years from Tuesday.

She said that the city has been working to address heat concerns for both fans and athletes.

The marathon and some other outdoor Olympic events will start early in the morning. Other steps include developing road pavements that emit less surface heat, setting up mist sprays and planting tall roadside trees.

Koike also cited traditional ways of cooling in Japan, such as hanging straw screens and spraying water on road surfaces.

"But our traditional wisdom is not enough to beat the heat like this," she acknowledged, "so we will be using cutting-edge technology."

Kim reported from Seoul, South Korea. Associated Press writer Eric Talmadge in Pyongyang, North Korea, and videojournalists Nicola Shannon in Tokyo and Yong-ho Kim in Seoul contributed to this report.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> TOKYO — Japan recorded its highest temperature ever Monday as a deadly heat wave continued to grip a wide swath of the country and nearby South and North Korea.

The mercury hit 106 degrees in Kumagaya, a city in Saitama prefecture about 40 miles northwest of Tokyo, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

Two lingering high-pressure systems have trapped warm and humid air above the region, bringing record high temperatures for nearly two weeks. More than 40 people have died in Japan and about 10 in South Korea.

“It is so hot these days that I cannot figure out whether I am in (South Korea) or in Southeast Asia,” said Kim Sung-hee, a student in downtown Seoul, where the temperature rose to 96.

Ten people have died in South Korea of heatstroke and other heat-related causes this summer, seven of them last week, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday. About 1,040 people have fallen ill because of hot weather from May 20 to July 21, an increase of 61 percent over the same period last year, it said.

South Korea’s highest-ever morning low was recorded in the city of Gangneung, where the temperature was 88 at 6:45 a.m. The morning low in Seoul was 84.6, a record for the country’s capital, according to South Korea’s weather agency.

The mercury hit 103.8 in the southeastern town of Hayang, the highest temperature in the country so far this year.

In North Korea, residents fanned themselves on crowded trolleys or protected themselves from the sun with parasols as temperatures in Pyongyang, the capital, reached 93.2. Weather reports said higher temperatures were recorded on the country’s east coast.

Thousands of people in Japan have been rushed to hospitals with heatstroke symptoms during the heat wave. Kyodo News agency has tallied more than 40 deaths. Many of the victims have been elderly people who were not using air conditioning. On Monday, nine people died from heat-related causes across Japan, Kyodo said.

The temperature reached 102 on Monday in central Tokyo, the highest temperature this year. The worst of the heat wave is expected to be over this week.

Tourists in Tokyo’s historic Asakusa district struggled with the heat. Cosett Romero from Mexico said she and her family were getting headaches. “It’s difficult to us because we don’t have this heat in Mexico,” she said.

Authorities warned people to stay inside and use air conditioning.

“The weather recently in Tokyo and across Japan is like being in a sauna,” Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike said at a news conference.

Mari Yamaguchi and Hyung-Jin Kim are Associated Press writers. </s> August 6 remains a day of remembering the first atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima in Japan but this year, more than the bomb, heat wave has swept the nation, sending thousands to hospital and leaving 57 dead so far.

The Japanese government said on Tuesday, Aug. 6, that 57 people died and almost 18,347 people were taken to the hospital due to heat wave-related medical emergencies in the last one week starting July 29. It was reported last week that over 5,000 people were admitted to local hospitals due to the heightened heat wave.

As per Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency, the weekly figure for admission in hospitals due to increased temperature was second-highest since 2008, when they started recording it.

The Japan Times reported that of the 18,347 people who were taken to hospitals, 729 had developed symptoms that will require more than three weeks of treatment, while 6,548 had been diagnosed with less serious issues and needed shorter treatment process. It should be noted that elderly people, mostly aged 65 or above accounted for 54.3 per cent of the total.

As reports claimed Tokyo topped the list of hospitalization of the people, which is 1,857 and then Aichi Prefecture, as well as Saitama Prefecture where 1,342 and 1,307 ended up in hospitals respectively.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency also mentioned that a high-pressure system over the area of Japan preserved extreme heat so the agency has asked the members of the public to stay hydrated and rest in cooler areas.

Earlier, a study led by Ke Xu, who is postdoc working with Prof Riyu Lu and Prof Jiangyu Mao in the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, suggested that a deep anomalous anticyclone over East Asia is responsible for this increased heat that includes "anomalous subsidence and consequent higher surface temperature."

This research was conducted while focusing on increased heat-waves over South Korea and Japan's southern-central region. The lead author of this study stated earlier that the anomalous anticyclone triggered by the wave trains is "indicative to the occurrence of EH over South Korea and southern-central Japan." </s> TOKYO - Searing hot temperatures are forecast for wide swaths of Japan and South Korea in a long-running heat wave that's killed at least two dozen people.

The mercury is expected to reach 39 degrees Celsius on Monday in the city of Nagoya in central Japan and reach 37 in Tokyo.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency says the country's highest-ever morning low was recorded in the city of Gangneung, where the temperature was 31 at 6:45 a.m. The morning low in Seoul was 29.

Hundreds of people have been rushed to Japanese hospitals with heat stroke symptoms in the more than week-long heat wave. Deaths have been reported almost every day.

Authorities in Japan warned people to stay inside and use air conditioning. </s> 57 people died and more than 18,000 were taken to hospital in the space of a single week as Japan grappled with a powerful heat wave.

According to Kyodo News, 18,347 people were taken to the hospital in the last week, more than three times the number recorded the week before that.

The figures are for July 29 to August 4, and were released at the beginning of this week. They paint a bleak picture of how Japan is copying with its ongoing high temperatures.

Just over half of those hospitalized were aged 65 and older, the report said. It is common for the very old and very young to suffer worst in extreme temperatures.

The highest number of hospitalizations occurred in Tokyo, where more than 1,800 people were hospitalized, Kyodo said.

Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency told said that atmospheric high pressure led to the lengthy hot period. Temperatures climbed to 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) in Tokyo in the last week.

On Wednesday, temperatures reached 38.4 C (101 F) in Kumagaya, a city northwest of Tokyo, and 36.9 C (98.4 F) in Fukushima and Osaka, according to Japan's public broadcaster, NHK.

High temperatures have plagued Japan for weeks, resulting in scores of heat-related deaths this summer.

Last month, more than 80 people died in a heat wave where temperatures climbed above 40 C (104 F) in parts of the country.

Then temperatures reached a record 41.1 C (105.8 F) according to Kyodo News, prompting Japan's Meteorological Agency to issue a warning that the heat posed a "threat to life."

"We recognize it as a natural disaster," a spokesperson said last month.
An intense heat wave hits South Korea, which started at the end of July and is forecast to reach its highest temperature in the coming days. The heat wave kills 27 people, while more than 2,200 are taken to the hospital.