Deadly Heat Wave Hits Korea After Monsoon, Elderly Deaths Mount

The government raised its heat wave disaster crisis alert to the highest "serious" level and activated the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, as heat wave advisories were issued across most of the country immediately after the monsoon season ended. With heat-related illness cases rising sharply and the sweltering heat and tropical nights forecast to continue for some time, concerns are growing that casualties could increase further.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety held a heat wave response inspection meeting on the 27th, chaired by Minister Yoon Ho-jung, and instructed relevant agencies and local governments to strengthen protection of vulnerable groups and on-site safety management. The Korea Meteorological Administration forecast that heat waves and tropical nights would continue for some time, as the full-scale heat has begun following the end of the monsoon season.

The government decided to strengthen monitoring of elderly people living alone, slum residents and the homeless, and to provide cooling supplies. It will also intensively inspect compliance with heat wave safety rules at outdoor worksites and vulnerable businesses. The government plans to check on the well-being of elderly farmers and advise them to refrain from outdoor activities during daytime hours.

Cooling shelters and heat mitigation facilities will be inspected for the operation of air conditioning equipment and accessibility, and their operating hours will be extended if tropical nights continue. Social infrastructure will also be inspected preemptively, while the livestock and aquaculture industries will be supported with the distribution of heat wave prevention facilities.

"We will do our utmost to prevent casualties among vulnerable groups and outdoor workers," Minister Yoon said. "In areas where heat wave advisories have been issued, please refrain from outdoor activities and take sufficient hydration and rest."

The government raised its response level by activating the disaster headquarters because heat-related illness cases have been rising rapidly recently. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, 72 heat-related illness patients visited some 500 emergency rooms nationwide on the 26th alone. The cumulative number of heat-related illness patients this summer stands at 1,399, fewer than the 2,367 during the same period last year.

However, the daily number of patients has shown a clear upward trend recently. Heat-related illness patients, which numbered 20 or fewer per day through the 20th, reached 80 on the 25th alone. Authorities said patients could continue to rise for some time as the heat intensifies, and urged special caution.

There have also been a series of cases in which elderly people working in fields died of heatstroke. According to North Jeolla Province, a 96-year-old identified as A died of heatstroke on the afternoon of the 26th while working in a field in Cheongha-myeon, Gimje. A collapsed while working in their own field and was found by a resident of another village around 6 p.m., who reported it, but A had already died. It was the first heatstroke death this summer in North Jeolla.

On the same day, a woman in her 80s died of heat-related illness in Hadong County, South Gyeongsang Province. With these cases added, the estimated number of heat-related illness deaths this year has risen to a total of eight.

On the 27th, temperatures in some parts of the Yeongnam region soared to the highest levels this year. According to the Daegu Regional Meteorological Administration, as of 3 p.m. that day, the daytime highs reached 39.2 degrees Celsius in Sinam, Dong-gu, Daegu, 39.1 degrees in Gyeongju, 38.5 degrees in Goryeong and 38.1 degrees in Daegu.

In particular, Gyeongju, where a severe heat wave warning has been maintained for a fourth day since the 24th, recorded the seventh-highest daily maximum temperature since observations began in August 2010. It was the hottest day among all July 27ths on record. Daegu also posted the second-highest temperature among all July 27ths.

Meteorological authorities forecast that heat waves and tropical nights would continue for some time. However, a variable has emerged for future weather, as Typhoon Dolphin, which formed in the waters east of Guam around 3 p.m. that day, could approach as far as near Japan. Depending on the typhoon's path, the strength and position of the North Pacific high-pressure system could change, which is expected to affect the duration of the heat wave and the precipitation outlook.