South Korea’s Lee urges authorities to step up support as heatwave kills 16
Temperatures in Yangsan, a southeastern inland city, hit 42.5°C on Sunday, the highest in 122 years of weather observations.
Pedestrians walking along a mist-spraying zone to cool off on a street in Seoul on Aug 3, 2026, as a scorching heatwave continues to grip South Korea. (Photo: AFP/Jung Yeon-je)
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SEOUL: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung urged on Tuesday (Aug 4) authorities to step up support for people affected by a record heatwave in the country, saying the death toll had risen to 16 and warning that extreme weather was becoming more frequent.
Speaking at a cabinet meeting, Lee called on officials to take necessary measures to protect the daily lives of people and inspect power systems as demand for air conditioning surges.
“We need to make efforts for a fundamental overhaul of the national crisis system, since this extreme weather is becoming normal,” he said.
The nation’s weather agency said Yangsan, a southeastern inland city, recorded a temperature of 42.5°C on Sunday, the highest temperature measured in 122 years of weather observations.
The Korea Meteorological Administration also issued its first-ever heatwave warning for parts of Seoul and neighbouring Gyeonggi on Monday, extending this to all of the capital on Tuesday.
Source: Reuters/rk
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