Record Heat Waves Shatter Crops and Kill Livestock Across East Asia

South Korea logged its hottest summer on record, with Yangsan reaching 42.5 °C, while a farmer in Gangwon province described his potatoes as "like boiled potatoes" after the soil overheated. The heat has been blamed for at least 31 fatalities nationwide and the death of more than 900,000 livestock and 1.4 million farmed fish, prompting authorities to issue a blanket outdoor-activity warning. In Japan, temperatures topped 40 °C in several areas, prompting the weather agency to label the day a new "kokushobi" category and resulting in the death of three zoo lions from suspected heatstroke.

Scientists attribute the severity of the July heat to human-induced climate change, estimating such an event would be a 10,000-year rarity without it. Hong Kong recorded 36.9 °C, its highest since 1884, as Typhoon Dolphin's outer bands pushed hot air into the city, highlighting weaknesses in its heat-stress warning system for outdoor labor. Neighboring regions, including Xinjiang in China and Pyongyang in North Korea, also reported extreme temperatures, underscoring a broader regional heat crisis.