Heat illness cases top 300 in five days as extreme heat grips South Korea

With temperatures approaching 40 degrees Celsius across the country following the end of the monsoon season, heat illness cases are rising rapidly. The government raised its heat wave disaster alert to "Serious" — the highest level — and activated the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, bringing its response to full emergency footing.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, 72 people visited emergency rooms at roughly 500 hospitals nationwide Monday with heat-related illnesses. Two died from suspected heat illness — a woman in her 80s in Hadong-gun, South Gyeongsang Province, and a woman in her 90s in Gimje, North Jeolla Province.

The cumulative number of heat illness cases recorded since May 15 rose to 1,399, with eight suspected deaths.

Cases have surged as the heat wave intensified. Daily heat illness patients stood at just 19 as of July 20, but climbed sharply afterward — 59 on Wednesday, 58 on Thursday, 56 on Friday, 80 on Saturday and 72 on Sunday. The five-day total reached 302, accounting for 21.6 percent of all cases recorded this year.

The Ministry of Interior and Safety raised the heat wave disaster alert to the highest "Serious" level at 3 p.m. Monday and activated the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, heat advisories, heat warnings and extreme heat alerts were in effect across most of the country Monday, with the exception of parts of Gangwon Province. Gyeongju recorded a high of 39.1 C, while Goryeong reached 38.5 C, Gyeongsan 38.4 C and Gijae-myeon in Pohang 38.1 C. Sinam-dong in Daegu's Dong-gu hit 39.2 C as record-breaking heat continued across the country. Many areas also experienced tropical nights, with temperatures staying above 25 C.

The Korea Meteorological Administration forecast that the heat wave and tropical nights would continue for now.

By region, Gyeonggi Province recorded the highest cumulative number of heat illness cases at 294, followed by North Gyeongsang Province with 159, Seoul with 124, South Gyeongsang Province with 122, South Jeolla Province and Gwangju combined with 116, and North Jeolla Province with 97.

Men accounted for 77.2 percent of patients. By age group, those in their 60s were most affected at 18.4 percent, followed by those in their 50s at 17.4 percent and those in their 40s at 14.5 percent. People aged 65 and older made up 30.2 percent of all cases. By occupation, unskilled laborers had the highest share at 21.2 percent. Heat exhaustion was the most common diagnosis at 59.6 percent, followed by heatstroke at 16.6 percent and heat cramps at 12.9 percent.

Outdoor locations such as worksites accounted for 81.8 percent of cases. Cases were most concentrated between 6 and 10 a.m., with another peak between 2 and 5 p.m.

The government said it would step up monitoring of vulnerable groups — including elderly people living alone, residents of low-income housing and the homeless — and expand the distribution of cooling supplies. Authorities plan to intensify safety inspections at outdoor worksites and high-risk businesses, and to extend the operating hours of public cooling centers in response to tropical night conditions.

Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung, who heads the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said the heat wave "is a disaster that hits hardest those who are most vulnerable — residents of low-income housing, elderly people living alone and outdoor workers." He added that the government would "implement thorough protective measures, including expanding the operation of public cooling centers, and work closely with local governments to do everything possible to prevent casualties," noting that those without access to air conditioning suffer even more during tropical nights.

Yun also urged the public to drink plenty of water and rest during the hottest parts of the day, and called on people in areas under extreme heat alerts to stop outdoor activities immediately and move to a cool location.

Experts warn that as the heat wave drags on, even healthy adults — not just the elderly and outdoor workers — face growing risk of heat illness. They stress the importance of drinking water before feeling thirsty and avoiding outdoor activity during the hottest hours from noon to 5 p.m. Anyone experiencing dizziness, extreme fatigue or loss of consciousness should move to a cool place immediately to lower body temperature and then seek medical attention.