Anna Jiwon Park has been covering the politics at The Korea Times since the summer of 2024, when she joined the press pool for the Office of the President in Korea. Prior to that, she spent about five years reporting extensively on financial markets, regulatory authorities and the financial industry. She joined The Korea Times in 2019 after spending eight years as a broadcast journalist at Arirang TV, Korea’s leading global broadcaster, covering politics, defense and culture.
Korea overhauls heat wave alert system for 1st time in 18 years
Children play in the water at an outside splash pad in a park in Seongdong District in Seoul, June 28, as scorching summer heat continues. Yonhap
By Anna J. Park
Korea has overhauled its heat wave warning system for the first time in 18 years, introducing a new top-tier alert aimed at providing earlier warnings as increasingly extreme summer temperatures pose greater health risks.
The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) activated the revised system on Wednesday, replacing the previous two-tier structure with a three-stage framework consisting of a heat wave advisory, heat wave warning and the newly created severe heat wave warning.
Under the previous system, a heat wave advisory was issued when the perceived temperature was forecast to remain above 33 degrees Celsius for at least two consecutive days, while a warning required apparent temperatures of 35 degrees or higher for two days.
The new highest-level alert, however, can be issued if the perceived temperature is expected to reach 38 degrees or if the actual air temperature reaches 39 degrees for just one day, allowing authorities to respond immediately without waiting for prolonged extreme heat.
The KMA said the change reflects the growing threat posed by unprecedented heat waves, which can significantly increase the risk of serious illness and death even among otherwise healthy people.
The agency also introduced its first-ever tropical night advisory. The advisory will be issued when nighttime temperatures are forecast to remain at or above 25 degrees for a single night.
According to the KMA, the measure recognizes that prolonged heat during the day, combined with warm nights that prevent the body from recovering, substantially raises the risk of heat-related illnesses. Analysis by the agency found that the number of heat illness patients can increase by as much as 90 percent during tropical nights, even when daytime temperatures remain the same.
When a severe heat wave warning is issued, the KMA urges the public to follow a three-step guideline: halt outdoor activities immediately, move to a cool shelter and check on family members, neighbors and anyone, including children or pets, left inside vehicles.
The KMA also expanded its heat warning zones from 183 to 235 areas, the first revision in 22 years, to better reflect local temperature differences within the same city, such as between riverside districts, inland neighborhoods and densely built urban areas.