The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said on the 10th it held a "heat wave response progress review meeting" with 16 metropolitan and provincial governments participating.
The meeting that day was presided over by Natural Disaster Response Director Kim Yong-gyun, with relevant ministries and 16 metropolitan and provincial governments participating. With a nationwide heat wave and tropical nights expected to begin over the weekend, participants reviewed response measures and discussed additional steps to minimize heat-related casualties.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) determined that the risk of heat-related illness rises sharply when engaging in outdoor activities in the high humidity following heavy rains, and ordered strengthened monitoring for older adults, farmers, and outdoor workers. To frequently check on vulnerable people, it plans to fully mobilize local safety networks, including village and neighborhood heads, local volunteer disaster prevention groups, and care support workers.
It also asked for strengthened patrols of outdoor worksites and rice paddies and fields, focusing on the Gyeongsang region where heat wave advisories remain in effect, and for measures to prevent damage to agricultural and livestock products. It emphasized extended operation of cooling centers and heat mitigation facilities so people can escape the heat at any time.
Kim Yong-gyun, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) natural disaster response director, said, "Heat waves hit vulnerable people and on-site workers more harshly," and added, "Each ministry and local government should make every effort to protect vulnerable people and focus on on-site responses, and actively promote heat wave safety guidelines to the public."