▲ A construction worker drinks water amid scorching heat, in this undated file photo. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Aug. 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korea continued to struggle with an unprecedented heat wave Monday, with many parts of the nation reporting record high temperatures and scores of people suffering from heat-related illnesses.

Temperatures reached a record high of 40.9 C in the southeastern city of Daegu, surpassing the 40 C mark for the first time since Aug. 1, 1942, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said. Severe heat wave warnings remained in effect across most of the country, with one of the criteria for the warning being a high of 38 C in perceived temperature for more than a day.

In the southeastern city of Yangsan, where temperatures reached the highest recorded temperature of 42.5 C on Sunday since modern weather observations began in 1904, temperatures peaked at 38 C.

The extreme heat has triggered health emergencies across the country.

In Incheon, west of Seoul, a man in his 40s died Monday morning with his bodily temperature nearing 40 C after being sent to a hospital the previous day.

Also on Sunday, two farmers, in their 60s and 80s, respectively, were found dead in the central province of South Chungcheong.

The KMA attributed the prolonged high temperatures to overlapping high-pressure systems over the peninsula combined with strong, direct sunlight under clear skies.

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