Busan mayor inspects heat-wave response for vulnerable residents, power supply

With Busan's daytime high reaching 35 degrees Celsius and overnight temperatures staying above 25 degrees, Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo visited a comprehensive support center for homeless people and Korea Electric Power's Busan-Ulsan office Monday to inspect the city's heat-wave protection measures for vulnerable residents and its summer power supply response system.

Jeon arrived at the Busan Hope Lighthouse Comprehensive Support Center in Busanjin-gu at 3:20 p.m. Monday to review the facility's heat-wave response, including homeless counseling services and emergency shelter operations. Busan city runs a "joint homeless response team" with district offices, the Korean National Police Agency, the fire department and welfare facilities throughout the summer months from June to September, conducting two to four patrols and on-site counseling sessions daily at Busan Station and Seomyeon, scaled to the heat-wave alert level.

After visiting the center, Jeon toured Korea Electric Power's Busan-Ulsan office, where he was briefed on summer power supply management plans. "As heat waves become a routine and prolonged reality, we will maintain a seamless response system so that no resident is left behind, and we will focus every administrative resource on ensuring a safe summer for all citizens," he said.

The city coordinates with the Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy, Korea Electric Power and the Korea Energy Agency to share real-time power supply data and maintain a phased response system in line with the "Power Supply Disaster Field Response Manual" in the event of a crisis.

The city also plans to promote citizen participation in energy conservation through street campaigns, distribution of promotional materials, guidance on maintaining appropriate indoor cooling temperatures and advisories against leaving doors open while air conditioning is running.

"From protecting heat-wave-vulnerable residents to ensuring a stable power supply, we will work closely with relevant agencies to prevent any disruption to citizens' daily lives," Jeon said.