No purchase needed: Businesses offer heat relief to the public

A woman stands inside a CU convenience store in Seoul, where a sign indicates the store is serving as a cooling shelter, Thursday. (Yonhap)

Amid the sweltering summer heat, commercial spaces such as convenience stores and banks in South Korea are opening their doors as cooling stations for the public.

BGF Retail, the operator of CU convenience stores, said Thursday that its more than 18,000 branches nationwide will welcome all passersby, especially children, the elderly and pregnant women, to cool off without requiring a purchase.

CU stores across the country began putting up signs about the policy on the same day.

The latest campaign comes as the number of people suffering from heat-related illnesses continues to climb during the heat wave.

A CU convenience store in Seoul displays a sign indicating it is operating as a cooling shelter. (Yonhap)

On Tuesday alone, 136 people across the country were admitted to emergency rooms due to heat-related illnesses, nearly double the number on the previous day. So far, 1,860 people have fallen ill from the heat and nine have died, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

“With the country’s largest network of convenience stores, we aim to serve as a safety net for the public,” a CU official said.

Local banks, which have long served as de facto heat shelters thanks to their strong air conditioning and cold water dispensers, also welcome people seeking relief from the summer heat, with some even setting up a designated space for them.

Based on a 2018 agreement with the Financial Services Commission, banks, mutual finance institutions and savings banks have provided cooling spaces at 5,054 locations nationwide. In response to the record-breaking heat, they recently expanded the number to over 14,000 locations.

(From left) Jeong Jin-wan, CEO of Woori Bank; Cho Yong-byung, chairman of the Korea Federation of Banks; and Kwon Dae-young, secretary general of the Financial Services Commission, inspect the operation of a cooling shelter at a Woori Bank branch in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, July 15. (FSC)

These shelters will operate from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily until Sept. 30, the end of the government-designated heat response period.

However, despite the good intentions behind businesses’ efforts to respond to the heat wave, some have voiced concerns about potential downsides to opening up private commercial spaces to the public.

“What if there’s no seat left when I want to eat alone at a convenience store? I might not get a spot even if I pay,” one user wrote on X. Another commented, “Banks are already packed with people cooling off. This will just make it more chaotic.”

People walk across the plaza outside Dongdaegu Station in Daegu, using parasols to shield themselves from the sun on Wednesday. (Yonhap)

Intense heat is expected to continue into the weekend, with Seoul forecast to reach a high of 38 degrees Celsius on Saturday. Nighttime temperatures are also expected to remain high, nearing 30 degrees, a level considered a "super tropical night," according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.