Seoul mayor vows to treat heat wave as disaster, pledges 'extraordinary resolve'

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said Monday that the city would treat the ongoing heat wave as a disaster and respond with "extraordinary resolve."

Oh made the remarks in a Facebook post Monday titled "We will protect citizens' safety and health with extraordinary resolve against the heat wave."

"The heat wave has now gone beyond mere discomfort and become a disaster that threatens citizens' lives and health," Oh wrote. He urged outdoor workers — including construction workers laboring under the midday sun, delivery and courier workers, and sanitation officials — to make their health the top priority.

Oh said the city would closely monitor trends in heat-related illness and the duration of the heat wave, and would immediately strengthen its emergency response system if damage appeared to be spreading. He added that emergency relief teams and special task forces would be deployed to areas with high concentrations of homeless people and residents of low-income single-room housing, that the number of cooling shelters would be expanded to around 4,000, and that the city's "cooling city" project to reduce the urban heat island effect would be pursued more thoroughly. "Seoul will not let its guard down for a single moment until the heat wave ends," Oh said. "We will monitor weather conditions in real time, look after vulnerable groups with greater care, and ensure the safety of everyone working out in the field."

Acting on Oh's instructions, the Seoul Metropolitan Government convened an emergency heat wave countermeasures meeting at 9 a.m. Monday, chaired by the first vice mayor for administration. The meeting reviewed whether existing measures were functioning properly on the ground, identified inconveniences and shortcomings that had emerged in public use, and agreed to expand support in preparation for a prolonged heat wave.

Seoul has been under a heat wave advisory since July 23, and temperatures this week are forecast to reach a high of 37 degrees Celsius with a perceived high of 36 to 37 degrees. As of 4 p.m. Sunday, 162 heat-related illness cases had been reported in Seoul, including two deaths. The majority — 129 cases — occurred outdoors.

The city is operating its comprehensive heat wave support center with eight teams, monitoring weather and damage in real time. It is closely tracking heat-related illness trends and the duration of the heat wave, and will immediately reinforce its emergency response system as needed. The city will continue welfare checks and health management — through visiting nurses and other means — for some 63,000 people in vulnerable health groups, including elderly people living alone, people with disabilities, and those with chronic illnesses. Emergency relief teams and special task forces will operate in areas with high concentrations of homeless people and single-room housing residents, and cooling shelters and nighttime heat refuges will continue to provide relief spaces. Compliance with protective measures for outdoor workers will also be monitored more closely.

Low-wage construction workers unable to work due to a heat wave warning or a work-stoppage order from a site supervisor will be eligible for a "construction worker safety allowance" worth up to four hours of living-wage pay per day, subject to certain conditions. Beyond simply setting up and operating heat wave shelters, the city will re-examine on-site conditions to ensure citizens can use the facilities without inconvenience. From July 27 to July 29, the city inspected 480 facilities — including cooling shelters and emergency refuges — focusing on operating hours, entrance signage, and the availability of contact information for reporting complaints.

To protect mobile workers such as delivery and courier drivers, the city and district offices will expand weekend operations of 30 rest facilities for mobile workers during the peak summer heat and strengthen the supply of cooling goods.

The shelters will be stocked with 100,000 bottles of ice water and 20,000 cooling towels, and their locations and usage information will be actively promoted through Naver and Kakao map services as well as mobile worker community channels. Street cleaning with water to ease the urban heat island effect will also be expanded.