[Report] "Even Extended Heat Shelter Closed"... Elderly Wandering Streets During Tropical Nights

Gathering in the Back Alleys of Tapgol Park
Shelters Closed Despite Heatwave Warning
Experts Say "Accessibility and Promotion Must Be Considered"

"When the senior center closed, there was nowhere to go in this heat. I came to play Janggi (Korean chess)."

On the evening of the 7th around 8 p.m., we visited Tapgol Park in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Even as darkness settled in the back alleys of the park, it was bustling with elderly people. Sitting on plastic chairs in small groups, the seniors began fanning themselves. Some were engrossed in playing Janggi under the streetlight glow. The makeshift tables lined up along the Tapgol Park fence resembled a night market street.

Around 8 p.m. on the 7th, two elderly men are playing Janggi in a back alley of Tapgol Park, Jongno-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Lee Ji-eun]

Kim (73), a resident of Sajik-dong, Jongno-gu, also came here to escape the heat. The neighborhood senior center with air conditioning closes by 6 p.m. Kim said, "There’s only one fan at home, and even sitting still, the room feels stifling," adding, "At least outside, there’s some breeze, so I come to the alley every evening."

As tropical nights with minimum temperatures exceeding 25 degrees Celsius continue daily in Seoul, elderly people exhausted by the heat are gathering on the streets. Although Seoul city has decided to extend the operating hours of cooling shelters on days when heatwave warnings are issued, many seniors are unaware of this and are battling the heat outdoors.

On the 7th, two elderly people were lying on a mat in front of the post office entrance in Jongno-gu, Seoul, cooling off from the heat.
Photo by Lee Ji-eun

That day, elderly people lying at the closed entrances of government offices around Tapgol Park caught the eye. In front of a nearby post office, two seniors had laid out mats and were trying to sleep. One man in his 70s, lying with his back turned, sat up fanning himself, saying, "It’s so hot I could die."

The seniors gathered here unanimously said they came to the alleys because they had nowhere else to go. Lee (78), who came by taking subway line 5 from Wangsimni Station in Seoul, lamented, "The air conditioner at home is broken or not blowing cool air," and added, "During the day, I go back and forth between the senior center and the post office, but at night, staying at home feels suffocating."

Seoul city has taken such issues into account and decided to extend the operating hours of cooling shelters on days when heatwave warnings are in effect. While the usual operating hours are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., the extended shelters operate until 9 p.m. during heatwave warnings.

On the 7th, the entrance doors of the extended heat relief shelters at Jongno 1, 2, 3, and 4-ga Community Service Centers in Jongno-gu, Seoul, were closed around 8:30 PM.
[Photo by Lee Ji-eun]

However, some shelters closed earlier than scheduled, causing difficulties in use. For example, at around 8:30 p.m. on the 7th, when a heatwave warning was in effect, the administrative welfare center for Jongno 1, 2, 3, and 4 districts had its first-floor entrance firmly locked. This center is one of the designated extended cooling shelters in Jongno-gu.

Moreover, many seniors were unaware that the shelters’ hours had been extended. Kim (80), a resident of Jongno-gu, when asked if he knew about the extended cooling shelters, replied, "I know the places seniors often visit instead of the senior center during the day because it’s hot," but questioned, "Don’t those places also close according to the senior center’s hours?"

Experts suggest that heatwave countermeasures should consider both promotion tailored to seniors’ perspectives and accessibility. Professor Jung Soon-dul of Ewha Womans University’s Department of Social Welfare said, "Promotion should be done through offline community channels within neighborhoods, such as local community leaders, so that seniors can obtain shelter information," adding, "Online promotion has significant limitations."

She continued, "Even when shelters are open, many seniors are too exhausted by the heat to reach them," emphasizing, "Shelters should be established in easily accessible locations where these individuals can easily find them."