Despite Ipchu, the traditional start of autumn, the heat wave reached a new peak on Friday, with Seoul topping 40 degrees Celsius for the first time on record. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), Friday was the hottest Ipchu on record nationwide, with temperatures reaching 40.2 C in Seoul's Nowon District at around 3:28 p.m. It was the first reading above 40 C at a monitoring station in the capital since Aug. 1, 2018. Temperatures soared to near 40 degrees Celsius in many parts of the country, reaching 40.7 in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province, and 40.2 in Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province. Seoul's Gangseo District hit 39.2 degrees Celsius, while Yeongwol, Gangwon Province, and Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, recorded 39.8 and 39.6, respectively. From June 1 through Thursday, Korea averaged 14.8 heat wave days, the fourth-highest figure for the period since nationwide records began in 1973. The country also averaged a record 13 tropical nights, when overnight temperatures remain at or above 25 degrees Celsius. As such extreme heat becomes increasingly common, climate insurance is