South Korea Just Hit 42.5°C—Why Is the Country’s Heatwave Becoming So Extreme?
South Korea has experienced something it had never recorded in more than a century of modern weather observations. On August 2, 2026, the southeastern city of Yangsan reached 42.5°C (108.5°F) , the highest temperature recorded in South Korea since nationwide modern weather observations began in 1904. This is no longer just an uncomfortable summer. The extreme heat has killed at least 19 people, sent thousands of people for treatment with heat-related illnesses, disrupted professional sports and forced authorities to reconsider how South Korea prepares for extreme weather. President Lee Jae Myung has described the heatwave as a “national disaster.” But the bigger question is not whether the summer of 2026 is unusually hot. It is whether temperatures above 40°C are becoming part of South Korea’s new climate reality. AI generated image 42.5°C: A Historic Temperature Record Yangsan’s 42.5°C reading broke South Korea’s previous national temperature record and marked the highest tempera...