In 2018, South Korea recorded its hottest summer since 1973, with 31 heat-wave days. Heatwaves with maximum temperatures above 33 degrees Celsius usually occur after the rainy season in summer. In recent years, not only the frequency of heatwaves has increased, but also their intensity.
Summer in South Korea
Summer in South Korea (from June to August) is usually hot and humid with a lot of rainfall during the rainy season of the East Asian monsoon (Changma). About 60 percent of precipitation falls during this season. The average temperature in summer was around 24.2 degrees Celsius in 2021. The amount of precipitation in summer that year stood at around 612.8 millimeters, about 46 times higher than in winter.
Climate change
South Korea is known for its four distinct seasons, yet weather patterns have increasingly changed in recent decades, resulting in longer summers and shorter winters. This shows that South Korea is not excluded from the effects of climate change. Changing climate patterns in recent decades have also led to an intensification of precipitation and more heatwaves in South Korea. Meanwhile, climate change is taken very seriously by South Koreans: about 48 percent of respondents to a 2019 survey said that global warming or climate change is the most important environmental issue for South Korea.
Hottest summers in South Korea between 1973 and 2024, by heat wave period
Profit from the additional features of your individual account
Currently, you are using a shared account. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set
statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account.
If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again.
Learn more about how Statista can support your business.
Korea Meteorological Administration. (September 4, 2024). Hottest summers in South Korea between 1973 and 2024, by heat wave period [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 10, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/887291/south-korea-hottest-summers-by-heat-wave-period/
Korea Meteorological Administration. "Hottest summers in South Korea between 1973 and 2024, by heat wave period." Chart. September 4, 2024. Statista. Accessed December 10, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/887291/south-korea-hottest-summers-by-heat-wave-period/
Korea Meteorological Administration. (2024). Hottest summers in South Korea between 1973 and 2024, by heat wave period. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 10, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/887291/south-korea-hottest-summers-by-heat-wave-period/
Korea Meteorological Administration. "Hottest Summers in South Korea between 1973 and 2024, by Heat Wave Period." Statista, Statista Inc., 4 Sep 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/887291/south-korea-hottest-summers-by-heat-wave-period/
Korea Meteorological Administration, Hottest summers in South Korea between 1973 and 2024, by heat wave period Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/887291/south-korea-hottest-summers-by-heat-wave-period/ (last visited December 10, 2024)
Hottest summers in South Korea between 1973 and 2024, by heat wave period [Graph], Korea Meteorological Administration, September 4, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/887291/south-korea-hottest-summers-by-heat-wave-period/