[REVISION HISTORY]

South Korea heat‑wave response measures

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2026-08-05 23:43 UTC → 2026-08-06 05:27 UTC · added ~~removed~~

In late June 2026 the Ministry of the Interior and Safety launched a coordinated heat‑wave safety programme. Public heat shelters were opened in welfare centres, libraries, banks and parks, with extended hours, and “119 heat‑emergency units” equipped with cooling gear were deployed nationwide. An AI‑driven heat‑illness prediction service, providing three‑day risk forecasts in four tiers, was made available through the Safety Steps app and other portals to protect the elderly and chronically ill. Local authorities and the private sector quickly added material aid. Andong City and the Gyeongbuk Community Chest distributed 245 “cool summer” kits to low‑income seniors and disabled residents, while Shinhan Financial Group supplied refrigerators, portable circulators and food items to over 800 households in a makeshift‑housing community in Seoul. On 19 July Seoul’s Yongsan District began an intensive protection programme running through 30 September, increasing daily phone calls and in‑person checks for identified vulnerable households, coordinating through a dedicated operations centre and using AI‑enabled speakers and IoT sensors to monitor health in real time. In early August the response was further expanded. Yongsan added 43 new cooling sites to its network of 85 shelters and opened 24‑hour emergency shelters at two locations, directly contacting 1,635 at‑risk residents. Gangdong District deployed six water‑spraying trucks and raised road‑spraying frequency to four times daily, aiming to lower surface temperatures, mitigate the urban heat‑island effect and protect heat‑sensitive groups such as children and the elderly. On 5 August, after an extreme heat‑wave alert, officials in Paju, Yongsan and Gangseo inspected shelters. Paju’s mayor checked a cooling shelter, a construction‑site rest area and a free‑water “Han‑mokeum” shelter, confirming air‑conditioning, temperature and hygiene, and ensured workers with heat‑illness were removed.

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