South Korea has hottest day on record amid extreme weather globally

What the report says

South Korea recorded its highest temperature since national weather records began more than 100 years ago, with the southeastern city of Yangsan reaching 42.5C on Sunday, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. The report by Al Jazeera said it was the fifth straight day that Yangsan exceeded 40C, while heat warnings remained in place across much of the country and more than 20 localities were under an emergency heatwave alert.

The alert system, introduced this year, is triggered when forecasts call for a perceived temperature of at least 38C or an actual temperature of 39C or higher in a single day. Al Jazeera noted that the average annual number of heatwave days in South Korea has more than doubled over the past five years compared with the 1970s, reflecting how unusually severe the current summer has become.

Scientists say the human-caused climate crisis is making heatwaves and other extreme weather events more frequent, longer-lasting and more intense. The South Korea record comes amid a wider pattern of extreme weather across several regions, including heat alerts in Japan, wildfires in parts of Europe and North Africa, and dangerous heat in the western United States. The broader context underscores growing concerns about public health, wildfire risk and strain on emergency services during prolonged hot weather.