Seoul suspends construction work, activities and events under highest heat warning

Outdoor construction works and events were suspended in Seoul on Tuesday as an emergency heat wave warning was issued across the entire city.

The Korea Meteorological Administration placed the city under effect at 11 a.m.

The emergency heat wave warning, the highest level of three-tier heat alert, is issued when the apparent temperature is forecast to reach at least 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit) or the mercury is expected to hit 39 degrees Celsius or higher.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government immediately suspended outdoor work at all 56 construction sites commissioned by the city. It also instructed private construction companies to adopt the same protective measures. The city plans to inspect individual worksites to ensure compliance.

Older adults’ outdoor labor under the city's senior employment programs was also suspended. Only limited indoor duties in air-conditioned facilities will be permitted. Park workers will also be instructed to stop outdoor work.

The city also canceled outdoor cultural, tourism and youth events.

Five outdoor programs scheduled between Tuesday and Sunday were canceled, including musical performances on the lawn in front of City Hall and a guided excursion program that follows the Hanyang Doseong, which is known as the historic Seoul city wall.

The city will also suspend cultural tourism interpretation services at major tourist attractions. Its roving tourist information service across eight tourist areas — including the neighborhoods of Myeongdong, Bukchon and Namdaemun — has also been temporarily suspended.

The city will also intensify road cooling operations. Street washing, previously carried out three to four times a day, will increase to as many as six times daily under the emergency heat wave warning.

Additional privately operated water trucks will be deployed to spray roads in the city center and along major thoroughfares. District offices will receive extra disaster management funding from the city government to expand their own water truck operations.

The Seoul city government has also provided 440 million won ($307,500) in emergency special adjustment grants to help its 25 district offices respond to the heat wave.

In addition, the city will provide 40,000 won in cooling subsidies to about 410,000 low-income households. It will also cover two months of air conditioning costs for short-term residential facilities and welfare centers for people with disabilities. The city will finance the 20.5 billion won needed for the measures through its disaster relief fund.

The city will maintain its emergency heat wave response system until the heat wave alert is lifted.

“Extreme heat is no longer a temporary inconvenience,” Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said. “It is a disaster that threatens the lives and health of Seoulites. We will pay even closer attention to vulnerable residents while ensuring the safety of everyone working in the field.”

BY HAN EUN-HWA [[email protected]]