South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has called the country’s record heatwave a national disaster after scorching conditions were blamed for 19 deaths.
Speaking at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Lee ordered authorities to step up support for affected residents, protect people’s daily lives and inspect power systems as electricity demand rises because of increased air conditioning use.
“An even greater concern is that abnormal weather conditions make it highly likely that extreme weather will continue for a considerable period,” said Lee, who wants a major redesign of the disaster response system to cope with the hazardous conditions.
The Korea Meteorological Administration said Yangsan, a southeastern inland city, recorded a temperature of 42.5 degrees Celsius (108.5 degrees Fahrenheit) on Sunday. It was the highest temperature measured in the country’s 122 years of weather observations.
The agency also issued its first-ever heatwave warning for parts of Seoul and neighbouring Gyeonggi on Monday before extending it to the entire capital on Tuesday.
The warning advises people to suspend outdoor activities such as farming, sports and construction work.
“I have never felt heat like this so far here,” said Cho Sang-yeon, who has lived for nearly 20 years in a jjokbang village, an area of low-cost single-room housing in western Seoul’s Yeongdeungpo district.
Some residents have been moved into government-provided temporary accommodation with air conditioning, although many homeless people still remain in the area.
“I feel sorry to see homeless people who are suffering from the heat on the street,” said resident Son Ki-young.
Firefighters and other officials have been spraying water on roads and checking vulnerable residents for heat-related illnesses, according to Jun Hong-cheol, an official at Yeongdeungpo Fire Station.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said the heatwave death toll had risen to 19, including 13 people aged 80 or above.
Since May 15, 2,025 people have suffered heat-related illnesses nationwide, according to official data.
Two baseball games scheduled for Tuesday in Seoul and Gwangju were also cancelled because of the extreme heat, according to the Korea Baseball Organization.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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