South Gyeongsang heat illness cases surpass Seoul's despite far smaller population

The number of heat illness patients in South Gyeongsang Province has overtaken Seoul's, even though the province's population is roughly one-third of the capital's — a sign that the heat wave's toll has been concentrated in the region.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, 72 people visited emergency rooms at about 500 hospitals nationwide on Thursday for heat-related illness, with no additional deaths reported. The cumulative count tracked through the agency's emergency-room heat illness surveillance system rose to 1,781 — including 13 deaths — for the period from May 15 through Friday.

As recently as Thursday, Seoul had recorded more cases than South Gyeongsang Province. By Friday, South Gyeongsang had pulled ahead with 161 patients, including three deaths, compared with Seoul's 158, including two deaths. As of June, South Gyeongsang's population stood at about 3.19 million, roughly one-third of Seoul's approximately 9.29 million.

Record-breaking heat has gripped much of South Gyeongsang Province. In Yangsan, temperatures climbed to 41.4 C on Friday, setting an all-time high since meteorological records began — only for that record to fall the very next day, when the mercury reached 41.6 C on Saturday.

Including 182 patients from North Gyeongsang Province, the combined Gyeongsang region has recorded 343 heat illness cases.

Of all patients recorded so far, 77.7 percent were male and 31.9 percent were aged 65 or older.

By condition, heat exhaustion accounted for the largest share at 61.0 percent, followed by heat stroke at 16.5 percent, heat cramps at 12.1 percent and heat syncope at 9.2 percent.

The KDCA's heat illness risk forecast will remain at the highest level — Level 4 — through Tuesday. Level 4 is declared when heat illness is expected to occur across most regions and cause significant harm.

Meanwhile, the National Disaster and Safety Research Institute under the Ministry of Interior and Safety analyzed KDCA and Korea Meteorological Administration data from 2011 to 2025 and found that during extreme heat events with daily highs of 38 C or above, the share of heat illness cases occurring at home roughly doubled, rising from 6 percent to 12 percent — a finding that underscores the danger of staying indoors during severe heat waves.