South Korea's Interior Ministry warns as heat illnesses triple after Ipchu

South Korea's Ministry of the Interior and Safety said Saturday it was urging continued heat precautions after Ipchu, citing heat illnesses that have roughly tripled over the past decade.

An analysis by the ministry's National Disaster Management Research Institute found that the annual average of heat-illness patients from Aug. 8 through Aug. 31 rose from 215 in 2011-15 to more than 600 in 2016-25. Post-Ipchu heat-related deaths edged up from an annual average of 3.3 in 2012-15 to more than four during 2016-25.

In 2024, 1,299 people developed heat-related illnesses and 12 died between Aug. 8 and Aug. 31, accounting for 35% of the year's total cases. Indoor and outdoor workplaces accounted for 586 patients, or 45.1% of the total.

Interior Minister Yoon Ho-jung said, "With the heat wave expected to persist for an extended period even after Ipchu, special attention is needed to prevent heat-related illnesses among not only vulnerable groups such as older people but also workers at indoor and outdoor workplaces. Members of the public should remember water, shade and rest, and follow heat-wave guidelines until the late-summer heat ends."

The ministry cited a longer late-summer heat period as a factor behind the growing risks. Korea Meteorological Administration analysis found that, over the most recent decade, heat waves generally began 10 to 30 days earlier and ended about 10 days later than in the earlier comparison period. Tropical nights also ended 10 to 20 days later, lasting into mid-August to early September.

The Korea Meteorological Administration expects daytime temperatures of 31 to 35 degrees Celsius across most of the country through mid-August, above normal levels. Yangsan in South Gyeongsang province recorded 42.5 degrees Celsius on Aug. 2, the highest temperature on record.