South Korea players want K League season change due to ‘worsening climate’

South Korea football players push for a K League season shift as ‘punishing heat’ hitting summer matches. South Korea’s Pro Footballers Association (KPFA) is calling on the K League to overhaul the domestic football season to avoid playing during the height of summer, as local temperatures reached record highs in August. “The K League must transition to the Fall-Spring schedule to protect players from the worsening climate crisis and punishing summer heat,” the KPFA said in a statement, “and to maintain the league’s leadership within Asia and its global competitiveness.” On August 2, the southeastern city of Yangsan recorded a temperature of 42.5 degrees Celsius (108.5 Fahrenheit), the highest in decades of official records, prompting authorities to warn residents to stay indoors. The Korean baseball league was suspended for a week due to the extreme heat. Seoul’s streak of 17 tropical nights – defined as nights when temperatures do not fall below 25 degrees Celsius (77 Fahrenheit) – ended Monday.

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