- Temperatures in the south soared to a record 42.5C (108.5F) earlier this week, and at least 21 people have died from heat-related illnesses, with nearly 2,500 visiting emergency rooms since mid-May.
- Local governments have deployed trucks to parks, markets, and bus stops to distribute chilled bottled waters for free, and in Yangsan, where the mercury hit a historic high of 42.5C, sprinkler trucks have been spraying water onto roads.
- Authorities are deploying drones with loudspeakers and thermal imaging cameras in rural areas such as North Gyeongsang province to protect farmers, broadcasting warnings like "it's hot, you need to go inside".
- Most outdoor activities have been cancelled, including the daily changing-of-the-guard ceremony at Seoul's Gyeongbokgung Palace and all scheduled baseball games for the week, after a spectator collapsed at a game in Incheon.
- South Korea's air-conditioned airports, including Incheon, have become a refuge for vulnerable communities, with people lying on benches and using towels as makeshift blankets; one visitor at Seoul's Gimpo airport called it a "perfect place to rest without spending any money".
South Korea is facing an unprecedented heatwave, with temperatures soaring to a record 42.5C (108.5F) in Yangsan. The extreme heat has claimed 21 lives and led to nearly 2,500 emergency room visits for heat-related conditions since mid-May.1234
President Lee Jae Myung has declared the situation a "national disaster" and ordered public agencies to mobilize all available resources. Local governments are responding by deploying drones equipped with loudspeakers and thermal imaging cameras to warn farmers, many of whom are elderly, to take breaks and cool down. The drones broadcast messages like "it's hot, you need to go inside" to protect vulnerable populations.56
In urban areas, air-conditioned airports, including Incheon, have become refuges for the homeless and elderly, with reports of people using towels as makeshift blankets. One visitor at Gimpo airport described it as a "perfect place to rest without spending any money".111213
The heatwave has disrupted daily life, leading to the cancellation of outdoor activities, including the changing-of-the-guard ceremony at Gyeongbokgung Palace and all scheduled baseball games for the week. This follows an incident where a 23-year-old spectator collapsed at a game in Incheon due to dehydration and low blood pressure.78910
As the country continues to battle this extreme weather, authorities are also distributing chilled bottled water in parks, markets, and bus stops to help those affected.
“The heat has forced cancellation of all baseball games for the week and the changing-of-the-guard ceremony at Seoul's Gyeongbokgung Palace after a spectator collapsed in Incheon. Local governments are distributing free chilled water and spraying roads with sprinkler trucks to cool sun-baked streets.”
BBC
