With heat alerts and severe heat warnings issued nationwide, daytime highs topped 39C in southern Korea. Yangsan and Miryang in South Gyeongsang recorded 39.3C, and heat-illness deaths and livestock losses are turning the danger into reality.
Weather authorities say extreme heat with daytime highs around 39C has persisted, centered on the south. Yangsan and Miryang in South Gyeongsang logged 39.3C.
광고 문의 · 300×250Human and livestock toll
Elderly people working in fields have died one after another. In Goseong, South Gyeongsang, a woman in her 90s who collapsed in a greenhouse was taken to hospital but died, in what officials presume was a heat-illness death. Livestock losses also grew, with more than 10,000 pigs and poultry reported dead in South Gyeongsang alone.
Health authorities urged people to avoid outdoor activity and field work during the day, drink plenty of water and use shaded and air-conditioned shelters. With the elderly, the chronically ill and outdoor workers especially vulnerable, checking on neighbors and family matters.
Response on the ground
Local governments are expanding cooling shelters and stepping up home health checks for vulnerable residents. Fish farms and livestock farmers were asked to manage water and barn temperatures and provide shade and ventilation.
The Sinophone Bridge Times sees heat waves as a disaster affecting life and livelihood, not a seasonal nuisance. Faithfully conveying safety rules and shelter information to Chinese-Korean merchants and neighbors who work outdoors is part of the press's duty.
