Yongsan-gu launches intensive protection program for vulnerable residents amid summer heat

Seoul's Yongsan-gu said it will run an "intensive protection period for vulnerable residents" through Sept. 30 to prevent heat-related harm and strengthen safety for households most at risk during the summer.

The district has been carrying out a comprehensive summer heat response plan since early July, focusing on protecting vulnerable residents and expanding heat-relief facilities. When a heat wave alert is in effect, a joint operations center involving four teams and 13 departments monitors weather conditions in real time and coordinates on-the-ground responses.

The intensive program kicks into full operation whenever a heat wave alert is issued, with a focus on stepping up welfare check-ins and connecting at-risk welfare recipients and vulnerable households to support services.

During the intensive period, the district plans to conduct welfare checks on all monitored households. Households that are normally checked once a week, once every two weeks or once a month will receive daily contact — by phone or in person — whenever a heat wave alert is active.

The district will also deploy a community-based safety network — including neighborhood care teams, customized senior care services, and local block and neighborhood leaders — alongside AI care speakers and Internet of Things sensors to build a tighter protection system. Through these measures, the district plans to monitor residents' health and living conditions regularly and quickly connect them to welfare and care services when needed.

"We will work together with the community to do everything possible to protect vulnerable residents during the intensive period," district Mayor Kim Gyeong-dae said.