North Korea reports 'fierce' heat as peninsula bakes

Seoul: North Korea is baking in a fierce heatwave, a weather agency official said Tuesday, with the mercury forecast to reach as high as 37 degrees...

Seoul: North Korea is baking in a "fierce" heatwave, a weather agency official said Tuesday, with the mercury forecast to reach as high as 37 degrees Celsius and South Korea also enduring extreme temperatures.

The North was recently hit by severe flooding in its northern regions near China, with state media reporting on high-level efforts to mitigate the impact of "disastrous abnormal weather".

On Tuesday, Kim Kwang Hyok, an official at North Korea's State Hydro-Meteorological Administration, told AFP the country had "witnessed the fierce heat in recent days" including in the capital Pyongyang.

"Severe heat of 33 to 37 (degrees Celsius) is foreseen in some areas. That's why we announced a heatwave warning until 14th of August," he said.

"The State Hydro-Meteorological Administration is focusing on forecasting the fierce heat and is striving to inform... certain areas (so) that they can take necessary measures," he added.