▲ This July 29, 2026, file photo shows pedestrians using an umbrella to hide from the heat in the southeastern city of Yangsan. (Yonhap)

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SEOUL, Aug. 2 (Yonhap) -- Temperatures soared to a record high of 42 C in the southeastern city of Yangsan on Sunday, as a scorching heat wave continues to grip South Korea, the state weather agency said.

The record temperature came after the mercury reached 40.3 C in Yangsan, about 310 kilometers southeast of Seoul, at 11:47 a.m. and further rose to 40.9 C at noon, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

The timing of the temperature rising above 40 C in Yangsan has been occurring earlier each day, as heat continues to accumulate. Sunday marked the fifth straight day temperatures exceeded 40 C in the southeastern city.

On the previous day, the city's temperature climbed to 41.6 C, marking the highest reading since modern weather observations began on the Korean Peninsula in 1904, based on records from the KMA's 97 long-term observation stations.

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