[Extreme Heatwave] South Korea Trapped in a Pressure Cooker... Food Prices, Drought, and Fish Farms Face Triple Hardship

Apparent Temperature Nears 40 Degrees, Leading to Real Crop Damage
Concerns Over Consumer Prices Returning to 3% After Dropping to 2% Range
'Severe' Heatwave Alert in Effect, Mass Deaths of Farmed Fish Reported

South Korea is trapped under a record-breaking heatwave. With daytime temperatures feeling close to 40 degrees Celsius, food prices are fluctuating, droughts are intensifying in the southern regions, and marine farming is suffering mass fish deaths as the sea temperature soars. The government has maintained the heatwave crisis alert at its highest level, 'Severe', and is mounting an all-out, pan-governmental response. However, concerns are growing over potentially expanding damages as the extreme heat persists.

Yonhap News Agency

The heatwave has now evolved beyond a meteorological phenomenon and emerged as a key driver of inflation. As agricultural productivity falters and losses in the livestock and fisheries industries become a reality, concerns are mounting that the August Consumer Price Index could be destabilized by the heatwave. Although July’s inflation rate remained in the 2% range due to government subsidies and increased shipments of agricultural products, the heatwave’s impact is expected to fully manifest in August, intensifying inflationary pressures. In fact, numerous agricultural products vulnerable to scorching temperatures saw month-on-month, triple-digit price surges: eggplants soared by 218%, zucchini by 112%, and perilla leaves by 116%. Jujube and spinach prices rose by 96% and 92%, respectively. Some seafood, impacted by rising sea temperatures, jumped by nearly 50% compared to a year earlier; the price of mackerel leaped by 47%, and hairtail fish by 42%.

There are even forecasts that, combined with the base effect from last August’s policy to lower mobile phone charges, consumer price inflation could return to around 3% in August. The government plans to keep inflation below 3% for the second half of the year through subsidies on agricultural, livestock, and fishery products, petroleum price ceilings, and policy packages to stabilize public livelihoods around Chuseok.

The situation in rural and livestock sectors is even more serious. According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters’ “Daily Situation Report on Heat Countermeasures,” more than 830,000 heads of livestock died from heat between May 15 and August 6 this year. For marine farms, 80 businesses have suffered cumulative losses totaling 566,809 farmed fish.

On the 29th, when heatwave warnings continued across most regions nationwide, citizens were commuting to work around Sejong-daero, Jung-gu, Seoul. The Korea Meteorological Administration forecasted that the daytime heatwaves and nighttime tropical nights would persist for the time being. July 29, 2026 Photo by Dongjoo Yoon

As of 9 a.m. on the 7th, a total of 208 cases of heat-related illness, including one death, were reported within one day. Previously, on July 27 at 3 p.m., the Ministry of the Interior and Safety raised the national heatwave disaster warning to ‘Severe’ and activated the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters. On August 2 at 1 p.m., the level 2 heatwave emergency response was activated, further ramping up the all-government response. Even on this day—Ipchu, the traditional start of autumn—the daytime high is expected to reach a scorching 39 degrees Celsius. The Korea Meteorological Administration recommended suspending all outdoor activities and outdoor work except for essential tasks. Overnight, the phenomenon of tropical nights, where the lowest temperature remains above 25 degrees Celsius, is expected to continue for the time being.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.