Seoul deploys 14 'Haepiso' cooling domes citywide from June through mid-August
City drew inspiration from a cold-weather refuge at Hongjae Waterfall
"I don't have to go looking for shade anymore"
Production and operating costs run 60 million won ($38,580) per unit, 800 million won total
"It looks just like an igloo — shall we go in?"
The sky was overcast and the air thick with humidity as the monsoon season threatened to begin. At 1 p.m. Wednesday, office worker Lee, out for a post-lunch stroll across Gwanghwamun Square with colleagues, spotted a large white semicircular air dome standing in front of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts.
Guided inside by an attendant, Lee found a commercial air conditioner — sized for a space of roughly 200 square meters — humming steadily and pumping out cool air. "I wandered in by chance and it's much cooler than I expected — I'm very satisfied," Lee said. "The name suits it well. I'd love to see more of these set up around the city."
Kim, 75, seated at another table, said he visits Gwanghwamun often and had always had to hunt for shade on hot days. "It's great that I don't have to go looking for shade anymore," he said. "I plan to use it every time I come."
The Seoul Metropolitan Government has been rolling out heat-wave countermeasures as the sweltering weather drags on. A standout initiative is the Haepiso — a pop-up outdoor cooling shelter introduced June 10 — which has drawn an enthusiastic response from residents. Currently operating at one location in Gwanghwamun Square, the Haepiso is set to expand to 14 sites across Seoul in July and remain open through mid-August.
Haepiso — meaning "a place to stay out of the sun" — is Seoul's own brand of outdoor heat-relief shelter, introduced by the city this year for the first time as a heat-reduction facility. Each dome measures 8 meters wide, 8 meters deep and 4 meters tall, inflated with air and constructed from three layers of polyester fabric. It can accommodate about 26 people at a time and is equipped with one large air conditioner, 26 chairs and five tables. Entry is free and open to all.
The outdoor temperature Wednesday afternoon was 28 degrees Celsius. Inside the dome, the air conditioner's display read 20 degrees. Unlike the muggy air outside, the interior felt dry and comfortable.
A Haepiso attendant said staff encourage passersby to step in and cool off. "Most people react positively," the attendant said. "Some even say they feel 'haepy' — happy — just like the name."
The concept was borrowed from a cold-weather refuge used in winter. The original inspiration came from a cold-snap shelter that Seodaemun-gu installed outdoors at Hongjae Waterfall starting in the winter of 2024.
A Seoul Metropolitan Government official said the city noticed the Seodaemun-gu facility and wondered whether the same idea could work as a summer heat shelter. "We tracked down a company that specializes in air domes and asked them to build something suited to summer conditions," the official said. Each unit costs about 13 million won ($8,360) to produce. Total operating costs, including wages for two full-time staff members per unit, come to 60 million won.
The first Haepiso was set up in front of the hangul fountain at Gwanghwamun Square, one of the city's busiest public spaces. From July, it has been relocated to the front steps of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. Two staff members are assigned to each unit to manage safety, maintain the facility and respond to visitor needs. Operating hours run from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, with service continuing through mid-August.
The Haepiso that opened June 10 drew 11,738 visitors over its first 21 days of operation, averaging 559 visitors per day, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
"We introduced the Haepiso heat-reduction shelter so residents can find even a brief moment of relief from the heat," a city official said. "We will keep it running through August and do our part to help people stay healthy this summer."
ikson@heraldcorp.com
