Jeju Island has reported its first death from a heat-related illness this year.
Jeju Province said on the 21st that one patient who had been hospitalized and treated due to the heat ultimately died, marking the first heat-related death of the year.
The patient who passed away was a woman in her 80s. On the 16th, at a dwellings in Jeju City, she showed symptoms of fading consciousness and difficulty breathing and was rushed to a hospital. However, she died on the 20th, four days later.
According to the province, as of the 20th, a total of 35 patients in the Jeju area experienced health issues due to heat levels. That is four more than the same period last year.
After heat wave advisories and warnings were issued across the province, the provincial government moved up its schedule by more than two weeks compared with last year and began Emergency Stage 1 operations at the Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the 19th.
Jeju Province held a meeting on heat wave and drought countermeasures presided over by Governor Wi Seong-gon that day. At the meeting, the task force discussed ways to care for vulnerable and marginalized people and protect the safety of outdoor workers, and also reviewed preventive measures to reduce damage in agriculture, livestock, and fisheries.