Anchor: As unprecedented heat waves swept the globe this summer amid erratic weather induced by climate change, South Korea suffered its hottest season in decades. National weather officials said the country broke heat and rain records due in part to rising sea surface temperatures.
Rosyn Park reports.

Reporter: The nation saw the hottest summer since it began collecting weather data more than 50 years ago, largely due to climate change.

Data from the Korea Meteorological Administration released Thursday showed the national average temperature from June to August stood at 25-point-seven degrees Celsius, the highest mercury level since the weather agency began logging related information in 1973.

It was point-one degree higher than the previous record set the year prior.

The average daytime high was 30-point-seven degrees, setting a fresh record, while the average morning low was 21-point-five degrees, the second highest in the books.

Meanwhile, the early onset of extreme temperatures came in late June, leading to  28-point-one days of heat waves, the third highest on record, and 15-point-five tropical nights.

But for locals in Seoul, it felt much longer with a whopping 46 nights, breaking all records dating back to pre-agency official data of 1908.

The KMA also pointed out that this year’s monsoon season began earlier than usual in mid-June, and only lasted until July 20.

The KMA said the early heat wave following a shorter monsoon season was largely due to high sea surface temperatures which caused a high pressure system from the North Pacific to expand to the southern regions in late June, much earlier than usual.

According to analysis, the average sea surface temperature surrounding the country stood at 23-point-eight degrees, the second highest over the 2016-2025 period, just point-two degrees shy of the record set in 2024, contributing to the unsettling weather. 
Rosyn Park, KBS World Radio News.