This illustration file photo shows a model wearing a high-tech thermal bra. Government buildings in South Korea have to keep the office temperature below 18 degrees Celsius (64 degrees Fahrenheit) and state employees are encouraged to wear thermal underwear to battle the cold.

South Korea's civil servants have been ordered to do their public duty by switching off the heating and donninglong johnsas the severe cold puts a strain on power resources, according to officials.

In an emergency energy savings plan, all ministries and state-run companies have been told to turn off the heating from 11:00 am to noon and 5:00-6:00 pm, the Knowledge Economy Ministry said.

Government buildings have to keep the office temperature below 18 degrees Celsius (64 degrees Fahrenheit) and state employees are encouraged to wear thermal underwearto battle the cold, it said.

"Offices will be quite cold under the required temperature, so state employees, whether encouraged or not, will end up wearing thermal underwear anyway," a ministry official, Roh Keon-Ki, told AFP.

Officials will patrol state buildings to check the temperature, he said.

"We're trying to set an example because the country may face a severe electricity shortage if the current pace (of heating consumption) continues."

Knowledge Economy Minister Choi Kyung-Hwan warned last week of possible blackoutsafter electricity demand soared to record highs this winter.

Sunday's temperature in Seoul fell to a 10-year record low of minus 17.8 degrees Celsius. Large parts of the Han river that bisectsthe capital are frozen over.

The temperature in the southeastern port of Busan sank to minus 12.8 degrees Sunday, the lowest level in 96 years, causing the death of a homeless man.

Water supplies in the southeastern city of Gimhae were cut off Sunday after pipes burst.

據(jù)一些韓國(guó)官員說(shuō)，韓國(guó)政府要求公務(wù)員履行公職，關(guān)掉暖氣，穿上秋衣秋褲，以應(yīng)對(duì)嚴(yán)寒天氣造成的電力資源緊張的局面。

知識(shí)經(jīng)濟(jì)部稱，政府出臺(tái)了一項(xiàng)緊急節(jié)能計(jì)劃，要求各部委和國(guó)企在上午11時(shí)至12時(shí)以及下午5時(shí)至6時(shí)停止暖氣供應(yīng)。

根據(jù)該計(jì)劃，所有的政府辦公樓都須將室內(nèi)溫度調(diào)到18攝氏度（華氏64度）以下，同時(shí)政府提倡公務(wù)員穿保暖內(nèi)衣御寒。

一位名叫盧健基的政府官員告訴法新社記者說(shuō)：“調(diào)到規(guī)定的溫度后，辦公室里肯定很冷。因此不管政府提不提倡，公務(wù)員們都會(huì)穿保暖內(nèi)衣來(lái)上班。”

他還說(shuō)官員們會(huì)在辦公樓里巡視，檢查溫度。

“我們盡量以身作則，如果人們還按照現(xiàn)在的速度來(lái)消耗熱量，那么韓國(guó)可能會(huì)面臨嚴(yán)重的電荒。”

今冬韓國(guó)的電力需求量達(dá)到了歷史最高值，知識(shí)經(jīng)濟(jì)部部長(zhǎng)崔炅煥上周警告說(shuō)這可能會(huì)導(dǎo)致停電。

上周日（16日）首爾的最低氣溫降到了零下17.8攝氏度，創(chuàng)下了10年以來(lái)的最低溫度。將首爾從中隔斷的漢江出現(xiàn)大面積結(jié)冰。

韓國(guó)東南部港口城市釜山周日的最低氣溫降到了零下12.8攝氏度，是96年來(lái)的最低溫。一名流浪漢被活活凍死。

韓國(guó)東南部的金海市周日發(fā)生水管凍裂，供水被切斷。

Vocabulary:

don: to put clothes, etc. on（披上；穿上；戴上）

long johns: warm underpants with long legs down to the ankles（至踝部的）長(zhǎng)內(nèi)褲，襯褲

thermal underwear: 保暖內(nèi)衣

blackout: a period of darkness caused by an electrical power failure（斷電；停電）

bisect: to divide something into two equal parts（對(duì)半分；二等分）