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“Fan Death” — Korea’s Killer Electric Fans

Jul 2, 2012 by Daniel McBane 12 Comments

Fan Death in KoreaMost of us have a hidden danger lurking in our bedrooms. We go to sleep every night, completely oblivious to the fact that we are putting our lives at risk, simply for a little comfort. That’s right, we’ve become so sensitive to the slightest deviation in temperature from our preferred range that we willingly stare death in the face and go to sleep in a closed room while an electric fan is running, often just a meter or two from our face.

No one knows exactly how these silent killers do their deadly work, but scientists have come up with three main theories. When we sleep, our metabolism slows down, making us more susceptible to changes in temperature. The first theory states that, due to our increased sensitivity to changes in temperature, a fan left running in a closed room can lower the temperature to a point where hypothermia occurs.

The second theory claims that victims of fan death die of asphyxiation, but again, the reason for suffocation are disputed. Perhaps the fan chops up the oxygen molecules in the air, rendering them useless to our lungs or perhaps the fan creates a vacuum near our faces, depriving us of oxygen. Or it could simply be a case of us using up all the oxygen in a closed room and suffocating on our own carbon-dioxide.

The final theory directly opposes the first. Rather than dying of hypothermia, victims of fan death actually die of hyperthermia, i.e. they are cooked alive. The fan blows hot air over our sleeping bodies, functioning like a convection oven and basically cooking us in our sleep.

No matter which theory you believe, one thing is certain: the danger is real. In 2006, the Korea Consumer Protection Board issued a safety alert that fan death was among South Korea’s five most common seasonal summer accidents or injuries. Between 2003 and 2005, 20 people fell victim to these killer appliances.

Of course there are skeptics, but they simply refuse to see the evidence. Medical examiners in South Korea often list fan death as the cause when a body is found dead in bed with no apparent cause of death, but with a running fan in the room. Additionally, several such stories are reported by the media every year. Even if you don’t believe doctors and journalists, the fact that Korean fan manufacturers equip all fans with a timer and a warning label makes it clear that the danger is very real.

“How can I avoid this horrible fate?” you’re wondering. Simple. Don’t leave a fan running while you sleep. Or if you absolutely insist on sleeping in comfort, make sure to open a window to lessen the risk of death. Alternatively, don’t go to South Korea—while several Koreans die from fan death every year, not one single person has ever succumbed to such a death anywhere else on earth.

If you would like to read more about fan death in Korea, you can check out the appropriately titled FanDeath.net or the wikipedia acticle on fan death.

Filed Under: South Korea Tagged With: Korea, fan death, superstition

Comments

  1. Andrea says

    Jul 2, 2012 at 01:55

    Hahahahahaha….this is AMAZING! Korea is such a weird place! I’ve also been told air conditioners are dangerous. Who knew my appliances were all out to get me?

    Reply
    • Daniel says

      Jul 2, 2012 at 08:41

      Who knew? Anybody who saw the movie Terminator, that’s who. Of course it was all supposed to have happened years ago, but those are just details…

      Reply
  2. Waegook Tom says

    Jul 2, 2012 at 06:40

    Hahaha oh, Fan Death! Fortunately all my Korean friends find it hilarious. My bf actually encourages me to sleep with the fan on (there’s no ulterior motive, I swear) during the summer, as I’m a hairy beast.

    Most Koreans I know seem to be of the opinion that the government created the notion of fan death as a way to save energy, but there are those who believe. Maybe they lost a loved one to a particularly malicious fan.

    Reply
    • Daniel says

      Jul 2, 2012 at 08:18

      You should pretend to fall asleep one night just to be sure–if he closes the window and sits in front of the fan with a lighter to heat the air up (or a tray of ice cubes, depending on which theory he subscribes to) you should be worried.

      But joking aside, you’re right. I found that among Koreans who’ve had more exposure to the west (usually this mean the ones who speak decent English) the belief in “fan death” is not so widespread. Of course Korea is still a fairly isolated country, so I think the majority of Koreans (definitely outside of the major cities) probably wouldn’t feel comfortable sleeping while a fan is running.

      And that’s not a criticism–I have plenty of friends who won’t walk under a ladder or who’ll knock their knuckles bloody on some wood. Superstitions exist everywhere and they need to be made fun of everywhere.

      Reply
  3. Katherine - Kapcha The World says

    Jul 2, 2012 at 18:09

    haha this is awesome. I’m in the process of compiling a list of all the crazy arse stuff they told us in Korea. The Dr explained that you die from fan death because it cuts the air particles in half thus you get half the amount less air and suffocate!! This was my Doctor – needless to say I didn’t really go to him much after that! lol

    Reply
    • Daniel says

      Jul 2, 2012 at 22:36

      Probably a good move…I imagine a bucket full of leeches would have come out at some point.

      Reply
  4. Ayngelina says

    Jul 23, 2012 at 12:33

    This explains so many celebrity deaths in Hollywood!

    Reply
    • Daniel says

      Jul 24, 2012 at 04:34

      I’m impressed. Not many people know that all celebrities the world over buy their electric fans in Korea.

      Reply
  5. Ryan says

    Nov 22, 2012 at 16:02

    Ha ha….5 years in Seoul with my fan running…..and I’m still alive!!!! Must be some sort of miracle. Or, maybe foreigners don’t get fan death because we’re too fat–you know all that extra insulation to protect us from the deadly stream of air flowing over our bodies!

    Reply
    • Daniel says

      Nov 22, 2012 at 16:39

      You may be on to something. Nothing I read when researching this post ever mentioned fat deposits and that would definitely explain why only Koreans are affected. Someone needs to do some digging and find out how big all the “fan death” victims were…

      Reply
  6. Anonymous says

    Dec 17, 2012 at 12:00

    While all of you are laughing at how ridiculously foolish South Koreans are, even the EPA warns against using potable electric fans in excessive heat events:

    “. . . portable electric fans are not the simple cooling solution they appear to be. Because of the limits of conduction and convection, using a portable electric fan alone when heat index temperatures exceed
    99°F actually increases the heat stress the body must respond to by blowing air that is warmer than the ideal body temperature over the skin surface (American Medical Association Council on Scientific Affairs, 1997; CDC, 2004c)”

    It’s right there on page 37.

    Hey, and this leading climatologist (http://www.as.miami.edu/geography/research/climatology/kalk.html) from the NWS mentions the same exact thing in this interview for NPR, right at 13:45: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5637692

    Man, those silly South Koreans sure are fucking retarded.
    Everyone knows that convection ovens are a big urban legend (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convection_oven).

    Reply
    • Daniel says

      Dec 17, 2012 at 12:19

      All countries and cultures have their own quirks and unique superstitions and I like to point out and poke fun at them all equally.

      Much more ridiculous than cultural oddities, though, are people like you. So thanks for the laugh.

      That said, I do have to applaud your courage in posting anonymously on the internet. Well done!

      Reply

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