10 power outages in a day: Heat wave strikes Seoul's poor in urban jjokbang villages
Published: 11 Jul. 2025, 11:42
Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI
![Sprinklers spray water on a street near a jjokbang (tiny subdivided room) village in Jongno District, central Seoul [SHIN HYE-YEON]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/07/11/cd148ac3-6ae1-435d-b57e-5f52557b53df.jpg)
Sprinklers spray water on a street near a jjokbang (tiny subdivided room) village in Jongno District, central Seoul [SHIN HYE-YEON]
In Seoul’s jjokbang (tiny subdivided rooms) village in Donui-dong in Jongno District, central Seoul, where entire lives are squeezed into makeshift rooms barely large enough to stretch out, cooling fog devices hiss in the alleyways — but the mist feels like hot breath from the city’s asphalt.
As apparent temperatures soar past 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit), Korea’s most vulnerable residents are fighting a losing battle against the heat, armed with hand-held fans, cracked windows and shared electricity meters.
At around 1 p.m. on Thursday, Seoul’s Donui-dong jjokbang village in Jongno District was blanketed in stifling heat. Mist from cooling fog devices sprayed out like smoke on various street corners, but the droplets felt more like hot steam. Residents sat in the shade, wearing sleeveless shirts and shorts.
“The fans only blow hot air, so it’s useless,” said 76-year-old Lee Hong-geun, who has lived in the Donui-dong jjokbang village for 20 years.
“The government installed an air conditioner in the hallway of the building I live in, but I can’t turn it on during the day because people come and go,” said another resident, 80-year-old Kim Yong-soo. "I can only use it at night. Many elderly people are stuck in their small rooms because of health problems from the heat.”
Similar scenes played out in another jjokbang village in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul. Residents sought shade to avoid the scorching sun. Although air fog systems were installed along the narrow alleys, the air remained humid.
“There’s no air conditioner in my room, so at night, I shower, strip down to my underwear, and sleep with the door open,” said Song Ki-hong, 55, who has lived there since 2008. “I don’t even have a window, so opening the door is my only option.”
At the village entrance, one resident lay on the shaded ground, taking a nap with this shirt pulled up.
![A resident of a jjokbang (tiny subdivided room) village rests in the shade in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul [SHIN HYE-YEON]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/07/11/56ceb858-24b1-4258-892d-78c7daf31f4e.jpg)
A resident of a jjokbang (tiny subdivided room) village rests in the shade in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul [SHIN HYE-YEON]
“I was lucky to get a room with an air conditioner for 250,000 won [$181] a month, so I rarely go outside during the day,” said another resident surnamed Jeon, 59. “Even though the government supports electricity bills, landlords often refuse to install air conditioners, so it’s hard to find rooms that have them.”
Conditions were no better in Honeybee Village, a vinyl greenhouse settlement in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi. In a 63-year-old resident surnamed Choi’s home, where they lived for 10 years, the indoor temperature was even higher than the 34 degrees Celsius outside.
The sun beat down through the flimsy sandwich panels, turning the room into a greenhouse. After a fire in March destroyed his electricity meter and wiring, his newly bought air conditioner and refrigerator were rendered useless.
“After the fire, it rained, and I hurried to protect my belongings, so I only managed to cover the roof with a single layer of vinyl,” Choi said. “If I could add a few more layers, the indoor temperature would drop by two or three degrees, but it would cost over 1 million won, so I haven’t tried.”
Choi added that the drinks they left soaking in cold water from the village hall overnight had become lukewarm by morning. Choi relied on a mini hand-held fan, smaller than their palm, to cool off.
“I wake up several times a night because of the heat,” Choi said. “Yesterday, I stayed over at a friend’s house. It’s sad that I have to wander just to find a place to sleep.”
![The inside of a vinyl greenhouse in Honeybee Village in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi is seen on July 10. [SHIN HYE-YEON]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/07/11/5ed489de-7c8a-4bdc-927b-a3bd270f01a0.jpg)
The inside of a vinyl greenhouse in Honeybee Village in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi is seen on July 10. [SHIN HYE-YEON]
Although only four households had their power cut off completely, others were still not spared from the impact of the heat. Most of the houses in Honeybee Village are made of sandwich panels that trap heat, and residents are reluctant to use air conditioners freely due to high electricity costs.
“People either stay at friends’ homes or cool off at Gyeongma Park Station on Subway Line 4,” said Jo Do-won, 63, head of the Honeybee Village Residents' Committee. “One power meter is shared among six or seven households, so the output is limited, and the progressive electricity tariff makes people hesitant to use air conditioning.”
He added that the village suffered about 10 power outages in a single day. Around 700 people are currently living in the 450 or so households in Honeybee Village.
A total of 1,228 heat-related illness cases and eight deaths were recorded between May 15 and Tuesday, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
Experts stress that vulnerable populations need extra care during heat waves.
![A broken fuse box is seen outside a jjokbang (tiny subdivided room) in Honeybee Village in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi on July 10. [SHIN HYE-YEON]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/07/11/adae036c-2a77-4ebf-ac2f-e4d7a0574c65.jpg)
A broken fuse box is seen outside a jjokbang (tiny subdivided room) in Honeybee Village in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi on July 10. [SHIN HYE-YEON]
“Vinyl greenhouses and shantytowns heat up more than the outside, and without air conditioning, staying indoors for extended periods can lead to serious heat-related illnesses,” said Kang Jae-heon, a doctor of family medicine at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital.
“Elderly people, in particular, tend to feel less thirst or heat than they actually should and have diminished thermoregulation,” Kang said. “They should reduce time spent at home and use public shelters.”
He suggested that efforts to improve housing requirements are also necessary in addition to heat wave countermeasures.
“With extreme heat and cold lasting longer throughout the year, vulnerable groups are increasingly exposed to housing crises,” said Jegal Hyun-sook, a lecturer in social welfare at Hanshin University. “While creating shelters is important, it is essential to provide public housing at price levels they can realistically afford,” she said.
Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY SHIN HYE-YEON, OH SO-YOUNG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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