Heat-related illness patients in late summer up 3-fold over past decade: data
A person wears a hat to shield themselves from the sun as they walk near Hongik University in Mapo District, Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
The number of heat-related illness cases reported in late summer nearly tripled in the past 10 years, government data showed Saturday.
An annual average of 215 heat-related patients were reported from "ipchu" to the end of August during the 2011-2015 period, according to an analysis by a research institute under the interior ministry using data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Ipchu, which fell on Friday this year, marks the beginning of autumn on the traditional calendar.
The figure rose to an annual average of 658 cases from 2016 to 2020 and to 638 cases during the 2021-2025 period.
Deaths linked to heat-related illnesses also increased during the same period, rising from an annual average of 3.3 patients from 2012 to 2015 to more than four patients over the past decade from 2016 to 2025.
In 2024 alone, 1,299 people suffered from heat-related illnesses and 12 died from ipchu to late-August.
Heat waves are expected to continue until late August this year, with daytime highs expected to range from 31 to 35 degrees Celsius across the country.