South Korea experiences unexpected temperature swings, raises climate concerns

South Korean residents expressed concerns on Monday (Dec 18) after temperatures in Seoul plummeted in an unexpected descent.

“Just last week, I wore short-sleeved clothing... suddenly, within a day, it became extremely cold,” said graduate student Lee Seo-hyun from a central area of the capital, where pedestrians were seen wearing puffer jackets and gloves.

Temperatures in Seoul touched a record low of minus 12.2 degrees Celsius on Monday and were forecast to go down to minus 7 degrees Celsius on Tuesday (Dec 19), as per the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

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On the contrary, Seoul reached 16.8 degrees Celsius on Dec 8, which was the second-highest temperature recorded in December since 1968, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap.

Residents, expressing concern over the unprecedented swing in temperature, said that they were confused about the clothing to wear as just a few weeks back, the temperature was so warm that wearing a jacket was not even an option and within a day the temperature dipped low.

“Just last week, I wore short-sleeved clothing and because it was so warm I either carried my coat or left it behind. But suddenly, within a day, it became extremely cold, and now I'm concerned about the Earth,” graduate student Lee Seo-Hyun said.

“In a situation where the vulnerable are unprepared and the weather suddenly changes, there might be many people facing urgent circumstances without enough time to prepare. Actually, it happened in the summer. So, it could happen again this winter as well, so I’m worried about that,” news agency Reuters quoted Lee Dong-Jun, an office worker, as saying.

As per The Korea Times, the cold weather conditions are expected to continue throughout the week and "morning lows are expected to hover between -17 degrees and 2 degrees nationwide".

(With inputs from agencies)