An electronic signboard in Seoul's Seodaemun Ward shows the mercury reaching 38 C on Friday, the day of "ipchu," one of the 24 seasonal divisions of the year that marks the onset of autumn. Yonhap
Temperatures topped 40 C in many parts of the country Friday, the state weather service said, underscoring the intensity of the ongoing extreme heat wave.
The mercury reached 40.7 C at an automatic weather station in Hanam's Deokpung district, just southeast of Seoul, at 2:32 p.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).
In the city of Gwangyang, about 300 kilometers south of Seoul, the temperature soared to 40.2 C at 2:37 p.m., the KMA said. Temperatures also rose to 39.8 C in the Gangwon Province county of Yeongweol and 39.6 C in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province.
In Seoul as well, temperatures exceeded 39 C, with the southwestern ward of Gangseo recording 39.2 C, the agency noted.
