Climate & Environment
North Korea promotes dog soup as South heat deaths reach 23
North Korean state media has promoted dog meat soup and ginseng chicken broth as ways to cope with a heatwave that has pushed temperatures to 40C in the North and left 23 deaths attributed to heat in South Korea.
The Korean peninsula is experiencing a record-hot summer. South Korea set all-time temperature highs on three days last week, peaking at 42.5C on Sunday, and Seoul issued emergency alerts telling residents to pause outdoor activity.
In North Korea, a doctor cited by the state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper suggested during Sunday's heat that dog soup would be “beneficial for nutritional supplementation”. On Wednesday, the official Korean Central News Agency promoted Samgye-tang, a chicken broth made with glutinous rice, dates and ginseng.
KCNA described the dish as a speciality of Kaesong and claimed the city's ginseng had an “incomparable medicinal effect”. Dog meat was once also eaten as a summertime delicacy in South Korea, but is due to be outlawed there by February 2027.
Rachel Minyoung Lee, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center's Korea programme, told AFP that North Koreans are likely suffering more from the heat than South Koreans because they lack South Korea's infrastructure. She said state media emphasis on water and electricity supplies suggested both were under strain.
The World Food Programme says more than 40 percent of North Korea's population of 26 million suffers from malnutrition. Lee said chronic power shortages mean many people outside Pyongyang may have little or no access to air conditioning or electric fans.
Update
Deaths attributed to the heat in South Korea have risen to 23.
North Korean state media reported temperatures up to 40C in the North.
A doctor cited by Rodong Sinmun suggested dog soup during the heat, and KCNA promoted Samgye-tang ginseng chicken broth.
A Stimson Center expert said North Korea's water and electricity supplies appear to be under strain during the heatwave.
Source note: AFP news report published on 7 August 2026 at 02:11:09 UTC.
Update
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said 19 people have died from heat-related illnesses this summer.
The agency said 2,221 people suffered heat-related illnesses between May 15 and August 3.
President Lee Jae Myung asked authorities to boost support for people affected by the ongoing record heatwave.
Source note: AFP news report published on 4 August 2026 at 13:36:17 UTC.
Update
All of Seoul was under the highest-level severe heatwave warning on Tuesday.
Temperatures in Seoul were forecast to rise close to 40C again.
The weather agency warned on Tuesday that extreme, life-threatening heat was forecast.
The interior ministry said South Korea's heat record had been broken three times over the past week.
Source note: AFP news report published on 4 August 2026 at 04:37:20 UTC.
Update
South Korea's interior ministry said 2,025 people suffered heat-related illnesses between May 15 and August 2.
Source note: AFP news report published on 4 August 2026 at 04:24:28 UTC.
Update
South Korea's interior ministry said heat has killed 16 people in the country this summer.
Source note: AFP news report published on 4 August 2026 at 04:16:53 UTC.
Update
South Korea's professional baseball league cancelled a game in Changwon after the city's temperature reached 39.5C.
The Changwon cancellation was the second consecutive baseball game cancellation in the city.
The Korea Baseball Organization said the decision was made for the safety and health of spectators and players.
The Korea Meteorological Administration urged people in affected areas to stop outdoor activities immediately and move to cooler places.
Source note: AFP news report published on 2 August 2026 at 07:41:46 UTC.
Update
Yangsan has had temperatures above 40C for five consecutive days.
Much of South Korea is under heat warnings, with more than 20 localities under emergency heatwave alerts on Sunday.
South Korea introduced emergency heatwave alerts this year for areas forecast to reach perceived temperatures of 38C or actual temperatures of 39C for one day.
KMA data show the average annual number of heatwave days in South Korea has more than doubled to 19 over the past five years from eight in the 1970s.
Scientists warn that human-induced climate change is making extreme weather events such as heatwaves more frequent and intense.
Source note: AFP news report published on 2 August 2026 at 05:39:41 UTC.
Update
The Korea Meteorological Administration said the 42.5C reading was in Yangsan.
The temperature was recorded at 1:26 p.m. local time on Sunday.
The agency said it was South Korea's highest temperature since records began in 1904.
Source note: AFP news report published on 2 August 2026 at 05:00:46 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The extent of heat-related illness and deaths in North Korea is not quantified.
Current South Korean heat-illness totals beyond deaths are unclear.
Access to air conditioning and electric fans outside Pyongyang is described as limited by an expert assessment, not by comprehensive public data.
Source
AFP news report published on .