Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 2 hrs ago
Study finds rising risk of South Korea facing rain and heat together
A KAIST research team analyzed 47 years of climate data to track East Asia’s summer rain front moving north.
Comparing 2006–2025 with 1979–1998, they found the front shifted about 146 kilometres north during peak monsoon and 213 kilometres in late summer.
The front brings about 40% of East Asia’s summer rain, and its position affects which areas face rain or intense heat.
In late summer, years with a more northerly front brought heavy rain and stronger heat to South Korea at once.
The study found these combined conditions occurred about 8 to 19 times more often than in years when the front stayed farther south.
Higher heat readings that account for humidity can mean greater discomfort and heatstroke risk, so rain and heat pose a combined hazard.
The researchers say September has been overlooked in disaster planning and call for plans that address both risks together.
A KAIST study found that East Asia’s summer front has shifted north, increasing the chance that rain and intense heat occur together on the Korean Peninsula.
Researchers analyzed 47 years of climate data, from 1979 to 2025.
The front’s average position in late summer was about 213 kilometres farther north in 2006–2025 than in 1979–1998.
In years when the late-summer front was farther north, days with above-average rain and heat together were about 8 to 19 times more common.
The researchers said South Korea should manage late-summer downpours and heat as a combined risk.
- Who
- Researchers from KAIST and the Asia-Pacific Climate Center.
- What
- A study found that the northward shift of the East Asian summer front has increased the risk of rain and heat occurring together on the Korean Peninsula.
- When
- The study analyzed data from 1979 to 2025 and was reported on October 23, 2026.
- Where
- East Asia, including the Korean Peninsula.
- Why
- The front has shifted north, which researchers linked to rising sea temperatures and changes in winds, among other factors.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Researchers used this period as the earlier 20-year comparison for the position of the summer front.
The summer front was farther north than in the earlier comparison period, by an average of about 146 kilometres during peak monsoon and 213 kilometres in late summer.
Yonhap reported the study’s findings.
- Study period
- 1979–2025
- Late-summer northward shift
- About 213 kilometres
- Peak monsoon northward shift
- About 146 kilometres
- Combined rain-and-heat risk
- About 8 to 19 times more common in years with a farther-north late-summer front
- Heat measure
- Wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) rose by more than 0.4 degrees in affected years
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What people are saying
In years when the late-summer front is located farther north, days when above-normal rainfall and heat occur together are about 8 to 19 times more common than in years when the front stays farther south.
September has been a blind spot in preparations for summer disasters, so a comprehensive adaptation strategy is needed to manage late-summer downpours and heat as one combined risk.