Overview
- The Korea Meteorological Administration recorded temperatures above 40°C in parts of Seoul and other cities while Yangsan hit 42.5°C, the highest reading in modern national records.
- Health authorities reported 21 suspected heat-related deaths and roughly 2,441 emergency visits since mid‑May, figures that public-health agencies released in early August.
- President Lee Jae Myung ordered an all‑out mobilisation of personnel and resources, instructing ministries to protect elderly residents, enforce rest breaks for outdoor workers and expand water and cooling support.
- The crisis has disrupted daily life with cancelled Korea Baseball Organization games, patients flooding emergency rooms, collapsed spectators at stadiums and losses to livestock and crops, and officials are monitoring drought risks to water supply.
- Meteorologists link the event to a 'double heat dome' of North Pacific and Tibetan high pressure strengthened by typhoon-driven easterly winds, and similar deadly heat in Japan and Germany highlights larger regional and climate-driven risks.