As the nationwide heat wave drags on, the government raised the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters response to level 2. It will strengthen on-site inspections focused on the southern region and urgently fund disaster-related budgets for areas hit by heat and drought.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said it would raise the heat wave response of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters to level 2 as of 1 p.m. on the 2nd and strengthen a pan-government response system. It comes six days after it raised the heat wave disaster alert to "serious" on the 27th and activated the headquarters.
Yoon Ho-jung, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS), directed senior officials of central ministries and local governments to inspect sites at least once a week. In areas under a heat wave severe alert, she ordered a stronger on-site response system, including requiring senior-level officials to check sites daily.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) will dispatch Director General-level on-site general controllers to the capital area and South Gyeongsang and other southern regions, and send on-site situation managers nationwide to check each region's heat wave response and any need for additional support.
With severe heat alerts issued in succession mainly in the south, an additional 170 million won will be provided for the disaster relief support project. By region, 80 million won will go to the integrated special city of South Jeolla and Gwangju, 20 million won each to Busan and Ulsan, and 50 million won to South Gyeongsang.
The Minister visited Miryang, South Gyeongsang, where a heat wave and drought are occurring at the same time, to check the operation of cooling centers and listened to inconveniences experienced by older residents using the centers.
She then reviewed alternative water supply measures to cope with a prolonged drought, including operating tube wells and pumping stations, direct river water supply, inter-reservoir water connections, and securing water trucks and pumping equipment.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) plans to urgently provide 5.75 billion won in special disaster and safety grants to drought-hit areas such as South and North Gyeongsang, which face difficulties supplying water due to low rainfall and declining reservoir levels.
The Minister also inspected water leisure safety management at Geumsidang Recreation Area in Miryang. She checked staffing of safety personnel and the condition of safety facilities such as life jackets, life rings, and ropes, and called for stronger on-site management to ensure swimmers follow basic safety rules.
The Minister said, "Heat and drought are disasters that directly threaten not only the livelihoods of farmers but also the daily lives of vulnerable groups such as older people and outdoor workers," adding, "Through level 2 operation of the headquarters, we will more closely manage the response of central and local governments and swiftly provide the administrative and financial support needed on the ground to minimize damage to the public."
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) urged people to refrain from outdoor activities during the heat wave and to follow safety rules such as stopping work during the hottest hours.