[Editorial] 42.5-Degree Warning: Overhauling the Heat Wave Response System

On August 2, the temperature in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province soared to 42.5 degrees Celsius, marking the highest level ever recorded in 122 years of meteorological observation. It is also the first time a region has experienced temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius for five consecutive days. These numbers demonstrate that a new climate era has arrived on the Korean Peninsula. Yangsan is not alone. The entire country is boiling. In Seoul, the highest temperatures are forecast to reach 37 degrees Celsius throughout this week. When the heat from asphalt is factored in, the actual perceived outdoor temperature is expected to approach 40 degrees Celsius. It is as if one is standing in the middle of a desert.

Unprecedented heatwaves are also causing a surge in damages. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, by August 2, the number of people suffering from heat-related illnesses this year had reached 1,889, with 14 presumed deaths. On the first day of August alone, 96 people collapsed. The number of heat-related illness cases was 1,793 in 2020 but soared to 5,529 last year, more than tripling in just five years. The toll on industry is also significant. As of August 1, over 430,000 livestock and more than 160,000 fish have died due to the heatwave.

The government has also begun an emergency response. On August 2, Prime Minister Han Seong-sook urgently ordered all related ministries and local governments to mobilize a full-scale response to the heatwave. On the same day, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters raised the heatwave response to Level 2. The Ministry of Employment and Labor has made it mandatory to take a 20-minute break every two hours when the perceived temperature exceeds 33 degrees Celsius. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries raised the high-temperature crisis warning to ‘Serious I’ and activated the emergency response headquarters.

The problem is that warnings and text messages alone are not sufficient. On-site responses need to be strengthened further. The case of an elderly man in his 80s who collapsed while working in a vinyl greenhouse in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, on August 2, symbolically illustrates this issue. There should be frequent village and street broadcasts, and a detailed on-site response system must be established in which officials and local leaders cooperate to directly reach out and guide vulnerable populations.

There is also a need to accelerate institutional improvements for heatwave response. Laws must clearly stipulate mandatory rest and work suspension standards based on perceived temperature and work intensity, and given that working conditions differ by industry, detailed regulations tailored to the characteristics of each industry should be prepared. Of particular concern is the lack of a direct compensation scheme for fish farms whose stocks are killed by high water temperatures, unlike the livestock industry. There is even a contradiction where fish farmers who have disaster insurance are excluded from receiving disaster relief funds. These institutional loopholes must be addressed quickly. Now is the time to accept heatwaves not as exceptional disasters but as part of everyday life, and to fundamentally overhaul the overall response system.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.