Afternoon highs in the southeastern port city of Pohang in North Gyeongsang Province surged to 36-point-five degrees Celsius on Friday, marking the hottest this summer so far nationwide.

According to the Daegu branch of the Korea Meteorological Administration, daytime highs reached 36-point-three degrees in Gyeongju, 36-point-one in Yeongcheon and 36 in Daegu as the unrelenting heat wave gripped most areas of the province.

Heat advisories remain in effect in 14 cities and counties and special advisories are in place in many other parts of the region with the exception of northeastern inlands, Ulleung Island and the Dokdo Islets.