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Daegu's 'umbrella lending' program questioned after nobody returns umbrellas

Published: 25 Jul. 2025, 16:37

Sun umbrellas are displayed outside the civil affairs office for free rental at the Dalseo District Office in Daegu on July 23. [BAEK KYUNG-SEO]

DAEGU — On Wednesday, a sweltering summer afternoon in Daegu, a row of neatly hung sun umbrellas stood like sentinels of shade outside the Dalseo District Office — part of a novel program that loans them out to passersby, no strings attached, as long as they promised to return them.

It was a neat display of 20 sun umbrellas, with a sign reading, “Please use one at your convenience after filling out the log, and make sure to return it.”

Right next to the stand was a book where users were instructed to record an umbrella’s serial number, the date it was borrowed and the date it was returned. The system is designed to provide temporary relief from heat and prevent heat-related illnesses.

With temperatures soaring to 36 degrees Celsius (97 degrees Fahrenheit) that day, half the umbrellas were gone within two hours. None were returned. Some users didn’t even fill out the log.

“I was worried about how to get home in this heat, but the umbrellas helped,” said a 54-year-old Daegu resident surnamed Kim. “I have to prepare dinner, so I can’t return it right away, but since I live nearby, I’ll bring it back within a week. Honestly, you need to make up your mind to remember to return it.”

This year, Dalseo District purchased 1,000 umbrellas for 15,900 won ($12) each and distributed them across 25 administrative welfare centers. The return rate is close to zero.

“They’re basically used up every year,” a district official said. “We only put a few out on extremely hot days to help prevent heat-related illnesses.”

A person holds a sun umbrella while crossing the street in Daegu on July 28, 2023. [NEWS1]

Daegu, known for its extreme summer heat due to its basin geography — its nickname is “Daefrica,” a portmanteau of Daegu and Africa — launched the umbrella lending program in 2019.

An umbrella can lower the temperature beneath it by 7 degrees Celsius and reduce perceived temperature by as much as 10 degrees, making it an effective tool in heat waves. That year, the city distributed 2,000 umbrellas and ran a campaign urging residents to use them — even men, with slogans like “It’s not unmanly. Use an umbrella if it’s hot.”

The campaign proved successful. In Daegu, sun umbrellas became a summer trend. By 2021, the number of rental locations grew from six to 160, and the city “lent out” some 12,800 umbrellas.

Other cities, such as Gwangju, Ulsan and Busan, followed suit. But the low return rate became a growing concern, prompting the city government to hand over lending operations to district offices.

“We’re still running the umbrella campaign, but rental services are now managed by each district based on their share of the city’s heat wave response budget,” a Daegu official said.

The sun umbrella return rate remains so low that Daegu’s eight districts, excluding Gunwi County, have stopped tracking it altogether. As a result, the number of umbrellas available has sharply declined.

The Dalseong District Office in Daegu lends these sun umbrellas out for free. [DALSEONG DISTRICT OFFICE]

On the afternoon of the sweltering Wednesday, no sun umbrellas were available at the Cheongna Hill Tourist Center in Jung District or the nearby Kim Kwang-seok Road Tourist Center.

“We place umbrellas every year, but only a few,” said one staff member. “Given that this is a tourist site, hardly any umbrellas are returned. We haven’t put them out yet this year.”

Some districts are finding creative ways to maintain the program. Dong District is repurposing illegal banner ads to make umbrellas.

“It’s hard to stop lending them, since they’re so effective in preventing heat-related illnesses,” a Dong District official said. A Dalseo District official added, “Our goal is to raise awareness about personal responsibility and strengthen the heat wave response through campaigns encouraging umbrella use.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY BAEK KYUNG-SEO [[email protected]]