Workers install a shade net over a fish farm off the coast of Jungjang-ri in Taean, South Chungcheong, on June 6, as fish are suspected to have died due to high water temperatures amid a persisting heat wave across the nation. NEWS1NEWS1
President Lee Jae Myung ordered the government Thursday to mobilize all available resources and personnel to minimize the damage caused by a record-breaking heat wave plaguing the country.
"As there is a high possibility that the heat wave will persist for the time being, I ask the government to activate an all-out response system with utmost determination until the heat wave subsides,” Lee said as he presided over a disaster response meeting to inspect the heat wave and drought situation with the relevant ministers and heads of local governments.
The meeting came as the mercury neared or surpassed 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) throughout the country Thursday, with the heat wave showing no signs of abating soon.
“The most important task the government must undertake is protecting the lives and safety of the people,” Lee said at the meeting at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters in the government complex in central Seoul with the head of the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) as well as the ministers of the interior and safety, health and welfare and employment and labor.
Lee urged officials to “devise response measures appropriate for extreme weather conditions” and called for every effort to be made to prevent damage to livestock, farmed fish and crops and called for the safe management of social infrastructure such as roads, railways and power supply.
He further ordered a pre-emptive response to the drought in the southern region, such as reviewing alternative water sources and the operation of pumping equipment to ensure there are no disruptions to the water supply.
President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a meeting discussing ways to cope with the prolonged heat wave and drought at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters at the government complex in central Seoul on Aug. 6.JOINT PRESS CORPS
“We are effectively facing a national climate disaster," Lee said during a meeting with senior presidential aides later Thursday afternoon. “We must maximize the level, scope and speed of our policy response with a heightened sense of urgency."
Noting that such disasters “always pose a greater threat to people in difficult circumstances," Lee ordered "all available administrative resources be concentrated on ensuring the safety of those living in vulnerable housing,” including gosiwon, or small, affordable single-room housing often for students, and shanty houses, as well as workers at construction sites and parking facilities and those in rural and fishing villages.
Lee further instructed aides to improve infrastructure covered by the heat wave response, including housing, water supply, power grids and cooling facilities and to review such plans for next year's budget, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a press briefing.
The Health Ministry said it will increase monitoring of vulnerable older adults and the homeless and extend hours for senior centers from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. through September.
The total number of suspected heat-related deaths this summer rose to 23, while people who suffered from heat-related illnesses reached 2,665, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency Thursday afternoon.
The number of daily patients with heat-related illnesses was in the 100s last Saturday and Sunday, but reports exceeded 200 for three consecutive days since Monday.
A weather official monitors temperatures nationwide at the Korea Meteorological Administration in Dongjak District, southern Seoul, on Aug. 6, as heat wave alerts were issued for most of the country.NEWS1
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said Thursday it launched an all-out response in cooperation with relevant agencies to address the prolonged heat wave and drought in the southern region to ensure the safety of farmers and migrant workers and prevent damage to agricultural and livestock products.
The ministry said that there were 361 cases of heat-related illness in rural areas, while the number of livestock reported to have died due to the heat wave is estimated at over 688,000.
Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryung visited a shelter in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi, to review measures and guidelines to prevent heat-related illnesses among farmers and foreign workers and deliver cooling supplies.
She urged farmers employing migrant workers to take measures to prevent rights violations and heat wave-related injuries and emphasized the importance of adhering to safety protocols, such as ensuring sufficient hydration and rest.
The ministry decided to maintain a 24-hour emergency response system and strengthen monitoring activities using wildfire prevention drones and street broadcasts. It will also dispatch 1,149 heat-related illness prevention personnel and 88 agricultural work safety managers.
The KBO canceled all its games scheduled from Wednesday through Sunday due to extreme heat, the first time in its history that an entire day's slate has been called off because of the weather.
A severe heat wave warning was issued for the Seoul metropolitan area Thursday, and the region is again expected to see temperatures near 40 degrees Celsius on Friday, according to the KMA.
Central Seoul’s Yongsan District saw temperatures soar to 39.9 degrees at one point Thursday, the highest in the area this year.
The capital's daytime high is forecast to fall to 36 degrees over the weekend, though the mercury is forecast to remain high enough to meet the heat wave warning levels.
While the extreme heat may slightly ease over the weekend, the sweltering heat and tropical nights are forecast to persist through next week, despite Friday marking Ipchu, the traditional start of autumn under the lunar calendar.
Temperatures of around 35 degrees are expected to continue next week, the KMA forecast.
