South Korean President Urges Authorities to Step Up Support as Heatwave Kills 16

EPA

Senior citizens wait in line for free meals along the wall of a park in Seoul, South Korea on 3 August 2026.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday urged authorities to step up support for people affected by the country's record-breaking heatwave, warning that extreme weather events are becoming increasingly frequent after the death toll rose to 16.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting, Lee instructed government officials to take all necessary measures to protect people's daily lives and ensure the reliability of the country's power systems as electricity demand surges due to increased use of air conditioning.

"We need to make efforts for a fundamental overhaul of the national crisis system, ‌since ⁠this extreme weather is becoming normal," he said.

The Korea Meteorological Administration said the southeastern inland city of Yangsan recorded a temperature of 42.5°C (108.5°F) on Sunday, the highest reading in the country’s 122-year weather observation history.

The agency also issued its first-ever heatwave warning for parts of Seoul and neighbouring Gyeonggi Province on Monday, later extending the warning to the entire capital on Tuesday as extreme temperatures continued to affect the country.



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