Brutal heat wave hits low-income, vulnerable households harder

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Brutal heat wave hits low-income, vulnerable households harder

Published: 30 Jul. 2025, 07:00 Updated: 30 Jul. 2025, 17:39

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

A 6-year-old girl sits in front of a mini fan after playing with water to fall asleep on a sweltering night. Her mother says she still wakes up at night complaining about the heat. [JOONGANG ILBO]

This summer has been especially grueling for woman surnamed Kwon, who lives in Bucheon, Gyeonggi, with her 6-year-old daughter. After losing her husband at the end of 2024, Kwon said her greatest worry in the extreme heat is keeping her child safe.

“She wakes up at night crying because it’s too hot,” Kwon said. “We try to cool off in the bathroom before bed, but it doesn’t help much.”

“It’s better when she’s at kindergarten, but once she comes home, the heat becomes unbearable,” she added.

The family moved into a multi-family house in Bucheon last September after leaving an apartment in South Chungcheong due to financial difficulties. But the densely packed buildings offer poor ventilation. An air conditioner is out of the question, and they rely on two small fans to get by.

To make matters worse, their half-basement unit is prone to mold. “There’s so much humidity that we actually run the boiler to reduce it, even in this heat,” Kwon said.

As climate change drives longer and more intense heat waves across the Korean Peninsula, the so-called climate gap continues to widen, hitting the elderly, young children and welfare recipients the hardest.

Multiple air conditioning units operate outside a building in central Seoul on July 8. [NEWS1]

While some enjoy round-the-clock air conditioning, for others it remains a distant luxury. A 2019 Seoul Institute report found that low-income households had an average of just 0.18 air conditioning units per home — around one-fifth the national average of 0.97 units.

Even those with basic cooling devices often hesitate to use them due to electricity costs.

Health data also highlights the disparity. Among 2,454 cases of heat-related illnesses recorded between May 20 and July 27, day laborers made up 27.1 percent, and the unemployed 13.6 percent. In contrast, office workers and managers accounted for only 2.1 and 1.1 percent, respectively. Notably, 5.2 percent of the cases occurred indoors.

Children are particularly vulnerable. A 2024 survey by the K-Green Foundation of 101 low-income households found that 74.3 percent of respondents reported noticeable changes to their living conditions due to the climate crisis. Specific concerns included extreme heat and cold at 59.4 percent, increased pests at 33.7 percent and hazardous conditions like mold and flooding from heavy rains at 27.7 percent.

A Chuncheon, Gangwon, resident who struggles to afford electricity uses ice packs with her two children to sleep. She freezes water bottles and ice packs and lies on them to endure the heat. [JOONGANG ILBO]

The nonprofit ChildFund Korea warned in a 2023 report that heat waves and other climate threats could endanger children’s right to survival, citing an increased risk of illness, deteriorating living conditions and rising anxiety.

In Chuncheon, Gangwon, a woman surnamed Jang, lives with her two children in a deteriorating single-family home built more than 30 years ago. Broken windows remain unrepaired due to high costs and rain often pours straight into the house. Jang, who is in poor health, has been unable to pay her electricity bill for months.

“To get through the night, we freeze water bottles and ice packs and sleep on them,” she said. “When it gets too hot, my 14-year-old daughter goes to wait at the bus stop just to cool off with the air conditioning.”

Community child centers — safe spaces offering meals, educational programs and refuge from the heat — are seeing growing demand during school vacations. “It breaks my heart to see kids showing up in the morning with red faces,” said a staff member at one center in Seoul.

Mold grows on the walls of a Chuncheon, Gangwon, resident's aging home, where she lives with her two children. Dirt and debris also seep inside. [JOONGANG ILBO]

A single mother of two elementary schoolers said she feels constantly guilty. Her children often stay at the nearby center until dinner because their home has only fans and ice packs.

“Even the fan blows warm air, and the tap water is lukewarm. They can’t sleep well at night,” she said. “At least the center has air conditioning. They prefer being there.”

To address such disparities, the government provides energy vouchers and support for low-income households, including emergency services for older adults living alone. The summer energy voucher offers up to 700,000 won ($503) in cooling subsidies for low-income single parents or families with children.

But gaps remain. “Since my husband passed away, I’ve been getting by with housework jobs, but I’ve never received any special government support,” said Kwon. “I don’t even know what the energy voucher is.”

Mold spreads inside the multi-family home where a Bucheon, Gyeonggi, resident lives with her 6-year-old daughter. Due to the humidity, she says she runs the boiler even in the summer to keep the mold at bay. [JOONGANG ILBO]

“I qualify for the voucher, but I was told I’m ineligible because of unpaid bills,” said Jang.

Kim Min-jung, director of ChildFund Korea’s welfare program, emphasized the need for fundamental change.

“Children in poor housing are far more vulnerable to heat, both physically and emotionally,” Kim said. “We need to improve their environments, like installing cooling systems in substandard housing and expanding public shelters and infrastructure.”

Lee Byoung-chul, an analyst at the National Assembly Budget Office, wrote in a February report that “local governments should develop tailored support systems for vulnerable groups in their regions.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY JUNG JONG-HOON [[email protected]]