An electronic road sign displays the current temperature in Seodaemun District, Seoul, Friday. Yonhap
Despite Ipchu, the traditional start of autumn, the heat wave reached a new peak on Friday, with Seoul topping 40 degrees Celsius for the first time on record.
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), Friday was the hottest Ipchu on record nationwide, with temperatures reaching 40.2 C in Seoul's Nowon District at around 3:28 p.m.
It was the first reading above 40 C at a monitoring station in the capital since Aug. 1, 2018.
Temperatures soared to near 40 degrees Celsius in many parts of the country, reaching 40.7 in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province, and 40.2 in Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province. Seoul's Gangseo District hit 39.2 degrees Celsius, while Yeongwol, Gangwon Province, and Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, recorded 39.8 and 39.6, respectively.
