“This year, I can take a shower at the bathhouse and sleep somewhere with air conditioning, so I don’t have to worry about anything.” Those were the words of 60-year-old Seo Jeom-yeol, a resident of a “jjokbang” (tiny room) village, whom we met at 9 p.m. on Tuesday at Dongnam Sauna, located in the basement of a commercial building near Yeongdeungpo Market in western Seoul. As the city’s nighttime low reached 29.1 degrees Celsius, Seo smiled and said, “You start sweating just by standing outside. Here, I can sleep comfortably in the cool air, wash up in the morning and head out. I don’t have to worry about waking up because it’s too hot.” About 10 residents from nearby jjokbang communities had gathered at the sauna that evening. Using vouchers distributed by a local counseling center, they are allowed to use the facility free of charge every night from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. the following day. Although the overnight stay normally costs 12,000 won, Seoul Metropolitan Government subsidies allow jjokbang residents to use the sauna at no cost throughout July and August. Amid this summer’s extreme
