Interior Ministry official visits Daegu to inspect heat-wave response

Kim Gwang-yong, head of the Ministry of Interior and Safety's disaster and safety management headquarters, visited Daegu on Saturday to inspect the city's heat-wave response as a major heat alert remained in effect.

Kim reviewed cooling shelter operations, drone-based heat surveillance and mobile cooling shelter services, while checking on measures to protect vulnerable groups. The government said it will work closely with local authorities to ensure heat-wave countermeasures proceed without disruption and will spare no effort to prevent casualties.

The visit came as Daegu was under a major heat alert. It was prompted by the onset of intense summer heat following the end of the monsoon season and the issuance of heat advisories nationwide, with officials seeking to assess how cooling shelters are being managed.

Kim visited the Naedang Library cooling shelter to check whether air-conditioning systems were functioning and whether the facility was open to the public. He then went to the Seodaegu Industrial Complex to review drone heat-surveillance operations and public-address announcements, before boarding a mobile cooling shelter bus to hear directly from users.

Drone heat surveillance runs intensively from noon to 4 p.m., focusing on outdoor farming areas, large construction sites and zones with high concentrations of outdoor workers. Mobile cooling shelter buses are deployed at traditional markets and parks with heavy foot traffic, providing rest spaces for the public.

"Now that the full heat of summer has arrived, it is crucial that we leave no gaps in protecting those most vulnerable to extreme heat — residents of low-income housing, elderly people living alone and outdoor workers," Kim said. "The government will work closely with local governments to ensure heat-wave measures are implemented without a hitch and will do everything possible to prevent loss of life."