Gyeongju activates Level 1 emergency as extreme heat alert spreads citywide

Gyeongju city has declared a Level 1 emergency and mobilized all available resources after an extreme heat alert was issued across the entire city.

According to city officials Monday, an extreme heat alert was first issued Saturday morning for the northern and central parts of Gyeongju before expanding to the entire city that afternoon, prompting authorities to immediately activate an emergency duty system and launch a coordinated response across all departments.

The emergency operation involves 13 inter-departmental task forces — including the Safety Policy Division's situation management unit — as well as civil servants from every township, town and neighborhood office. They are conducting intensive checks on heat-vulnerable areas and at-risk residents while monitoring on-the-ground response conditions.

To quickly inform residents of heat safety guidelines, the city has stepped up public outreach, broadcasting announcements twice daily through 396 village public address systems and sending emergency text alerts once a day.

Authorities are also continuously disseminating heat safety precautions — including guidance on extreme heat warnings, recommended public behavior, avoiding outdoor activities during midday and staying well hydrated — to raise public awareness.

The city has also expanded its water-spraying truck operations to ease the urban heat island effect. Six trucks are deployed three times daily along six major routes covering 59 kilometers — including Gangbyeon-ro, Wonhwa-ro, Saneop-ro, Taejong-ro and Dongdae-ro — to cool road surfaces.

Heat-reduction facilities and cooling shelters have been reinforced as well. The city is operating 187 heat-mitigation installations, including fixed shade structures, smart shade canopies and cooling fog systems, while 208 designated cooling shelters have been opened to the public.

In particular, administrative welfare centers have been added as cooling shelters in response to the extreme heat alert, operating from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. to give residents a place to escape the heat.

"I urge residents to protect their health and safety by following heat safety guidelines — avoiding outdoor activities during the hottest part of the day and drinking plenty of water," Gyeongju Mayor Ju Nak-young said.