South Korea to unify heatwave casualty statistics

The South Korean government is launching a task force to unify fragmented heatwave casualty statistics across various agencies. Eight years after heatwaves were designated as natural disasters, discrepancies in how different institutions track deaths and injuries have led to confusion and gaps in data.

Currently, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency relies on voluntary reporting from approximately 500 medical facilities, which may miss cases not treated in emergency rooms. The Statistics Korea method focuses on domestic death certificates, often excluding foreign migrant workers and those whose underlying conditions were exacerbated by heat. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Employment and Labor tracks heat-related illnesses specifically as occupational diseases.

An analysis of Ministry of the Interior and Safety data revealed that between 2018 and 2024, at least 490 people died from heat-related illnesses, yet disaster relief was provided to only 108 individuals (22%). Additionally, while at least 4,200 emergency cases of heatstroke were recorded over eight years, only one case was recognized for aftereffects compensation. The new task force, starting in November, will include various ministries and experts to improve data integration and refine the criteria for disaster relief and injury recognition.