Live from Cheonggyecheon Stream: S. Korea swelters under relentless heat

We start on the local front today as Seoul seeks to survive yet another day of extreme heat.

I have our Park Hyobeen out in central Seoul for an actual gauge of the heat wave here in the capital city.

Hyobeen it's a little after five P.M. and I believe the heat remains relentless?

Good afternoon, Sunny.

I'm standing here at Cheonggyecheon Stream in central Seoul.

I've been out here for about 10 minutes, and honestly, sweat is already pouring out.

Today feels just as hot as yesterday, which marked the hottest early July day in 118 years, as the current temperature hit 35 degrees, although the "feels like" temperature is up to 37 degrees.

Now that it's close to evening, the temperatures have eased a little.

A bit of relief is also expected, with some rain in the forecast for parts of the country later today.

But we're likely in for another tropical night, when temperatures stay above 25 degrees even after 6 PM.

Seoul has already had ten in a row.

Due to the extreme heat, the Korea Meteorological Administration issued a heat wave warning across the country.

This alert is issued when the "feels like" temperature is expected to be above 35 degrees for more than two days in a row in large parts of the country.

Earlier this afternoon at 3 PM, the mercury hit 38.8 degrees in Paju City, Gyeonggi-do Province, while Seoul recorded around 35.8 degrees.

So people are doing whatever they can to stay cool, finding shade, or cooling off by the Cheonggyecheon Stream.

Let's take a listen to what they had to say.

"Actually, today is better than yesterday, but it's still so warm. I'm sweating a lot. It's still so hot. "

"It's really hot. It's really humid. It's hard to do anything outside."

Indeed Hyobeen health experts have been calling on the public to refrain from prolonged outdoor activity.

That being said what can you tell us about the reports concerning the health-related incidents from the scorching heat?

Yes, unfortunately, there have.

As of 4 PM on Wednesday, at least 8 people have died from heat-related illnesses this summer.

The number of overall heat-related illnesses has reached over 1,200 so far, more than double the figure from the same period last year, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

In response to the extreme heat, the Seoul Metropolitan Government held an emergency meeting on Tuesday morning to review countermeasures.

The authorities are calling for enhanced real-time monitoring and stronger protection for vulnerable groups, including the elderly, outdoor workers, and farmers.

They are also advising people to avoid being outside between noon and 5 PM, to drink plenty of water, and to seek help right away if they feel symptoms such as dizziness or a headache, which are common signs of heat-related illnesses.

That's all I have for now, back to you, Sunny.

All right Hyobeen thank you for BRAVING the blistering heat to bring us that report.

That was our Park Hyobeen at Cheonggyecheon Stream in downtown Seoul.