South Korea baseball league cancels two games over heatwave
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Water cannon being sprayed into the stands to cool off spectators during a South Korean professional baseball game on July 29.
PHOTO: AFP
SEOUL – South Korea’s baseball league cancelled two professional games on Aug 1 to ensure the safety of players and fans amid a heatwave.
The highest level of heat warning – issued when temperatures are forecast to reach at least 39 deg C – has been in effect since July 31 in Busan and Changwon, where the games were scheduled.
The Aug 1 games between Samsung and Lotte in Busan and KIA and NC in Changwon were cancelled, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said in a statement.
“Severe heatwave warnings have been in effect for the Changwon and Busan areas since yesterday,” it said.
“The decision was made with the safety and health of spectators and players as the top priority.”
KBO added that the games would be rescheduled.
Scientists warn that extreme weather events such as heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense as a result of human-induced climate change.
Temperatures topped 40 deg C in South Korea’s south-eastern city of Yangsan for a fourth straight day on Aug 1, hitting a record 41.6 deg C.
A reading of 42 deg C in Yangsan would mark the highest temperature recorded under South Korea’s modern weather observation system, including automatic weather stations, according to Seoul’s Yonhap news agency.
Interior Ministry data showed 13 people had died out of the 1,701 who suffered heat-related illnesses in the first seven months of 2026.
South Korea issued its first-ever emergency heatwave alert in July, advising people to avoid outdoor activities and stay cool under a new warning system. AFP
