As a relentless heat wave grips the city, Mapo-gu is stepping up its response to protect residents from heat-related illness.
The district has set up an outdoor air-conditioned cooling shelter called "Haepiso" near Hongik University Station and is expanding its water-spraying truck operations to bring down urban temperatures into the evening hours.
The shelter, a Seoul-style outdoor mobile cooling facility, opened Wednesday in front of Exit 7 of Hongik University Station — one of the city's busiest pedestrian hubs.
The name "Haepiso" blends the Korean for "a place to escape the sun" with the English word "happy," evoking a space where visitors can cool down and feel at ease. The district secured 60 million won ($42,000) in city funding to build the large air-dome structure, which measures 10 meters in diameter and 5 meters in height.
Inside, air conditioning, tables and chairs are available to anyone seeking relief from the heat, and on-site staff conduct regular checks to keep the facility in good condition.
On Wednesday, when the daytime high reached 38 degrees Celsius, the interior stayed between 26 and 28 degrees, allowing visitors to cool off comfortably out of the blazing sun.
Haepiso will operate daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. through Sept. 2, with the possibility of an extension depending on weather conditions and visitor demand.
To cool overheated roads, the district added one private water-spraying truck starting Thursday, bringing the total fleet to eight — five district-operated vehicles and three private ones.
The private trucks will run when a heat advisory is in effect, with operating hours shifted from the original 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. window to 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. to target the hottest afternoon hours and tropical nights, cooling streets across Mapo-gu.
The district's own trucks have been running four to five times a day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. since late March through mid-November, while neighborhood community centers operate smaller spraying vehicles in narrow alleyways that larger trucks cannot reach, in partnership with the Saemaul Leaders Council.
The district also plans to add a rest area in the first-floor lobby of the Mapo-gu office building, which already serves as a cooling shelter, so residents can drop in easily to escape the heat.
"Heat waves are no longer just uncomfortable weather — they are a disaster that threatens residents' safety," Mapo-gu district mayor Yoo Dong-gyun said. "We will do our utmost, through thorough preparation and swift response, to help residents stay healthy and comfortable throughout the summer."
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