Posted on 08/11/2018 7:30:37 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
While South Korea may be known as one of the world’s most technologically advanced countries, it is sorely lacking when it comes to air conditioning.
For many who live here, this has become painfully obvious as an unprecedented heatwave rages across the peninsula, killing at least 42 people since the end of May. The intense heat – with the mercury rising to a sultry 39.6 degrees Celsius (103 degrees Fahrenheit) – has forced people to seek refuge outside their homes.
“I have a friend who has no air conditioning,” said Kim Bum-ju, 29, a musician in Seoul. “Their home gets so hot they don’t come home until long after dark. When even the nights get too hot, they seek out karaoke bars.”
Nearly everyone owns a smartphone in South Korea, where digital literacy is among the world’s highest, but there is a surprising deficiency in air conditioners. Figures from 2013, the latest available data, showed 67.8 per cent of the population had air conditioners at home.
In neighbouring Japan, which is grappling with its own heatwave, the government recognises air conditioning as a necessity worthy of subsidy. But South Korea has yet to link the modern convenience to public welfare, partly because of high electricity bills.
Korea, like Japan, charges three rates based on the level of electricity usage. But unlike Japan, there is a wider discrepancy between the slabs.
This incremental system is only applied to residential use, drawing the public’s ire. Residential use makes up about 13 per cent of country’s energy demand while industrial use accounts for more than 55 per cent. Energy costs fluctuate depending on the time of year while the difference between costs is about 20 won, or almost 2 US cents, according to the Joongang Daily.
The unit price for those who use below 200 kilowatt hours (kWh) per month is set at 93.3 won, which jumps to 187.9 won per kWh for 201-400 kWh and 280.6 won per kWh for over 400 kWh. Under this system, a household that consumes 200 kWh a month would face a bill of 25,000 won (US$22.33). However, that bill increases to 250,000 won if it uses an air conditioner eight hours a day during the scorching heat.
Municipal and national governments have held emergency meetings to tackle the crisis, undertaking stopgap measures such as slashing electricity prices. But for many, this may not be enough.
For the hundreds of thousands who can’t afford to escape the heat or afford air conditioning, the government has set up designated “heatwave resting areas”. In Seoul, there are more than 3,000 such cooling shelters open mainly during the day.
The most vulnerable are the elderly in rural areas, where the death rate from heat-related causes is 5.6 times higher than cities, according to Springer Science+Business Media, a publishing company.
In Goryeong County, in North Gyeongsang province known for its extreme summers and high elderly population, officials say they have redoubled their efforts to check in on seniors.
“We have increased the number of elderly visits,” said Yoo Ju-yeong, an elderly welfare executive. “We’ve also been passing out fans and cold water.”
By 2050, 37 per cent of South Korea’s population will consist of the elderly and heatwaves are increasingly becoming an issue in the rapidly ageing nation. Currently, almost half of the elderly population lives in poverty.
Migrant workers have also been hit. A 61-year-old Chinese man working in a tobacco field in Cheongju recently died of heatstroke. In June, a Vietnamese man, 58, died after signs of dehydration while working on a tobacco field. Last weekend, a Russian construction worker was found dead, possibly from heatstroke. For years, human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have called for an end to the exploitation of migrant workers in South Korea. In a 2014 report, Amnesty decried the unfair conditions many workers have to endure as well as the safety and health issues they faced. About 20,000 foreign labourers live in the province. Some live in storage containers, others in company dorms with no air conditioning and others in even worse housing conditions. Many migrants often work in premises with little or no air conditioning.
“We have sent a letter advising to the local community to avoid working outdoors during the daytime,” said Oh Hyun-jin, a safety policy official in Cheongju. “But we cannot force private sector companies, including farms and factories, to stop working because of the heatwave.”
Swamp cooler is an unfortunate name. I guess it is solid, proven technology, but I feel more comfortable moving into a home in our new location in Phoenix where regular AC is available.
Even in Arizona, it may not have been a feature until the mid/late 60's.
You did not grow up putting ice cubes in your glass of milk as a kid?
There are a lot of countries and regions of the world that up until now did not NEED A/C units.
It would seem that things are indeed heating up so...Korea, France, Eastern Europe, Greece, etc. are countries that are rapidly trying to catch up with cooled air in their houses and Hotels.
The Japanese, for example have A/C units but intentionally prefer to sweat and therefore not harming the environment...
Same-same in Hawaii. Zone A/C in bedroom and guest room. No heaters at our elevation. People at 1200' and higher do often have fireplaces.
I prefer to go naked and avoid A/C. Wife did not learn to sleep with multiple fans, needs the A/C.
Ironic, as a humid swamp is the worst place to make use of such a thing.
Had one in the first house I bought in the San Fernando valley. A lot of diddling with the POS fish tank pumps to keep it running. Needed a bit of pool chlorine to keep algae under control.
But, when the SF valley was still arid, the damn thing worked well and was cheap to run.
After the valley started really getting built up, the humidity rose, and the evaporation cooling was not very effective.
I bailed out for Ventura county. No heat, no cooling.
Electric rates here are artificially high so the states can A) collect more tax and B) to force their view of saving the earth at our expense.
We must be lucky. Even with a lot of over 100 degree days here it’s still reasonable.
France has needed AC but they don’t install it. They lose tens of thousands during heat waves
Plus the actual data show we not heating up. To the contrary we have been in stasis or dropped a bit
I am not convinced that global warming is a Al Gore phenomenon BUT...facts are, that there is an ever increasing demand for A/C facilities world-wide.
France doesn’t care about her elderly... a few years back thousands died.
Korean idea of "hi-tech" is a Samsung smart phone. I have one, and it works really well.
I don't get it.
According to the Wikipedia, a swamp cooler cools by evaporating water. It's an odd moniker, given that cooling by evaporation of water works best in the desert, where the air is very dry. But, in a swamp, the humidity is high, so swamp cooling should not work very well in the swamp.
I recall, years ago, listening to the weather forecast during a trip to Arizona. It included specific advice when to use evaporational cooling
vs regular AC.
Have you ever toured the Louvre in August?
The BO stench is pervasive!
I wonder what the EU duty is/was on Tom's of Maine? Could our President have improved the scent of the Louvre by negotiating hard?
Wow you brought back a memory with Kool Aid. In summer we used to mix up the flavored packets with water and ice. A staple of a sweet summer drink plus quite cheap to purchase too. Kids could earn a few coins with a Kool Aid/Lemonade stand on the block. Rare to see those anymore.
The heat here in Broward has been rough ride my bike almost 20 miles a day...but only in the morn
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