Korean CNA News Presenter Can't Tahan S'pore's Freezing Air-Con, Wonders If It's Why She Keeps Falling Sick

You'd think someone from South Korea, where winter temperatures regularly dip below freezing, would have no trouble handling a little air-conditioning.

But apparently, Singapore's air-con is a different kind of cold.

Just ask Korean CNA news presenter Grace Shin, who's been living in Singapore for more than two years.

Despite being no stranger to freezing temperatures, Grace says she still cannot tahan how cold our indoor spaces can get.

And it's gotten to the point where she actually has to step outside into Singapore's sweltering heat just to warm up.

Yes, really.

In a recent Instagram video, Grace asked her Singaporean followers and fellow expats how they manage to work in such heavily air-conditioned environments.

"Are you guys really okay working indoors with such strong AC? Is it just me?" she wondered.

Grace revealed that she'd just finished presenting two back-to-back bulletins for Asia Now when she found herself shivering from the cold.

"I kid you not, 30 minutes in, I was shivering. I could feel the cold all the way to my bones," she shared.

And this wasn't some one-off experience.

In fact, Grace has developed a little routine to help herself warm up after every studio session.

"All I could think of was, 'Okay, I need to go for a walk, I need to go for a walk,'" she recalled.

"And that's been my routine every single time I present in studio. I need to go outside for at least five minutes, get some sun on me, and feel warm again," she added.

Imagine needing to escape into Singapore's afternoon heat because your workplace is too cold.

Talk about a role reversal.

Grace also revealed that she'd been falling sick frequently and wondered whether the freezing studio might have something to do with it.

"I hope this is not what's contributing to me falling sick all the time," she said.

But before anyone thinks she's declaring war on air-conditioning, Grace was quick to clarify that she actually appreciates it.

Just maybe not quite so much of it.

"AC, like, I love it. I'm so grateful for it, but at the same time, it's just so cold," she said.

In her Instagram caption, Grace admitted that even after more than two years in Singapore, she still hasn't quite acclimatised to our indoor temperatures.

"To my Singaporean friends and everyone who's lived here for years… HOW do you do it?!" she asked.

Well, Grace, you're definitely not alone.

It turns out other people who've lived in Singapore for years are still struggling with our notoriously chilly air-con.

One commenter revealed that even after a decade here, the cold still gets to them.

"I've been here for 10 years and am still not used to it. I bring my hot waterbag and a shawl into the studio to keep warm!" they wrote.

A hot water bag. In Singapore.

Who would've thought surviving the office would require winter essentials?

Another commenter, however, reckoned that Singaporeans have simply gotten used to the cold.

"I think we locals are quite used to it. Some want the AC to be colder," they wrote.

The commenter also pointed out that the temperature difference between air-conditioned spaces and the outdoors can sometimes exceed 10 degrees Celsius.

8days.sg has reached out to Grace for more information but has not received a response at press time.