South Korea expands summer safety measures from workers to island waste

Measures cover workers, food safety, temporary homes, urban-inundation forecasting and island waste collection.

On Aug. 10, Interior and Safety Minister Yoon Ho-jung inspected a shelter for mobile workers in Mapo, Seoul, after the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters was raised to level 2 amid record, prolonged nationwide heat. He checked cooling and extended weekend operations for delivery and designated-driver workers. "The government views the current heatwave situation as a national disaster," Yoon said. The Ministry of Employment and Labor says dichloromethane evaporates more readily in hot, humid conditions and can concentrate in poorly ventilated rooms or basements. A worker died during cleaning-bath work in 2025; basement waterproofing in 2024 killed one worker and injured two. The Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency offers consulting, ventilation assessments and a free chemical-exposure information service.

High temperatures and humidity led to more bacterial food poisoning from July through September, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said. Its 2025 data recorded 319 outbreaks and 9,780 patients, versus 265 and 7,624 a year earlier. Salmonella caused 79 cases and 4,248 patients.

Rain on July 18 and 19 flooded temporary prefabricated homes for wildfire victims in Andong and Uiseong, North Gyeongsang Province, and some came loose from their foundations. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety has formed a task force to examine sites and standard designs and address residents who have remained for more than two years.

On Aug. 11, the Han River Flood Control Office and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information are to sign an agreement on urban-inundation forecasting using artificial intelligence and high-performance computing. The office runs forecasts around Gangnam Station and Sindaebang Station, combining rainfall and inundation forecasts with live data.

On 22 islands in two marine national parks, the National Park Service is expanding resident-led waste collection to 94 sites ahead of heavy rain and typhoons. The programme has collected 1,760 tonnes over four years, involving 9,805 residents.