Indian summer

"Indian summer" refers to a period of unusually warm weather in autumn. A few theories try to explain the origins of the term. Some say it originated from a sudden attack by Native Americans, who used to be called "Indians." Others say the fog and mist in an Indian summer resemble those of signal fires of Native Americans. Still others say the term is derived from a Native American hunting practice in fall in preparation for the coming winter. Because of its romantic nuances and symbolic nature of inviting winter, Indian summer was used as the title of a Korean movie. In the Chinese stock market, “Indian rally” refers to a brief rise in a declining streak.

Europeans call the same period a variety of names such as “old wives’ summer,” “Kingfisher Day,” “St. Martin’s summer,” or “St. Luke’s summer.” The Central European term “old wives summer” is similar in nuance to the Korean term “old heat.” An old wives` summer comes in late September while an Indian summer happens in early November. So some say these two are different.

Certain Koreans are afraid of old wives` summer, namely power authorities. Demand for electricity peaks in the hot Korean summer. Over the season, all power plants run at full capacity. The government has asked both business and the public to help conserve energy, which has been well accepted in Korea. As a result few problems have arisen. Power shortages usually occur in autumn, when power stations are inspected. People do not expect lack of power in fall. But a sudden heat wave in the middle of the season can result in power shortages and even blackouts like the one that hit all of Korea last year on Sept. 15.

Korea avoided power shortage problems from mid- to late August. Efforts were made to prevent a crisis by both the public and private sector. Companies encouraged their employees to take their vacations on different dates and the government had more power stations built. Yet torrential rains and typhoons played the biggest role in preventing power shortages. There is talk of September seeing a real power crisis. It is unfortunate that Korea`s electricity situation still fundamentally depends on the weather. At this point, the country must brace itself for power shortages because Indian summer is approaching.

Industrial News Reporter Jang Kang-myeong (tesomiom@donga.com)