First Seoul-wide heat warning issued with more to come; 7 dead as of Sunday due to heat

It's been way too hot for July and it only got worse.

Seoul saw the whole city under a heat wave warning first time this year while the southern part of the nation suffered even more.

Our Kim Do-yeon has more.

Reaching up to 33-point-2 degrees Celsius on Monday Seoul saw its hottest day of the year so far and issued a heatwave warning to every part of the capital for the first time this year.

"Today is really hot. I feel like it wasn't this hot in the past."

A heat wave warning is issued when the highest feels-like temperature is expected to reach 35 degrees Celsius or higher for two or more consecutive days or when major damage is anticipated as a result of the heat.

In fact, Seoul is expected to see its highest temperature go up to 36 degrees on Tuesday.

"The first city-wide heat wave warning of the year came a full 18 days earlier than last year.

City officials are urging residents to stay indoors and keep cool.

But of course, fountains like this offer a playful — and much-needed — way to beat the heat."

"They don't have these in California water helps me forget the heat it cools me down and then forget the heat?

Monday also marked Soseo, or 'Lesser Heat' — a traditional seasonal marker falling usually on July 7th or 8th signaling the start of the summer heat.

While temperatures are rising, the hottest days are still ahead, expected to peak around what's called "Daeseo," or Great Heat later this month.

Meanwhile, other parts of the country also saw extreme heat, particularly in the south.

Gyeongsangnam-do Province's city of Miryang saw its temperature rise to 39-point-2 degrees.

Starting on the 8th, changes in atmospheric pressure will lead to easterly winds across the country.

This means areas west of the Baekdudaegansan Mountain range—including Seoul and the greater capital region—are expected to see particularly scorching conditions.

And with the heat also came casualties with officials announcing that two people died due to heat on Sunday taking the death toll to seven since mid-May when heat-related injuries started being recorded.

Kim Do-yeon, Arirang News.