South Gyeongsang Province Governor Park Wan-su chairs an emergency meeting on heat waves and drought at the provincial disaster and safety headquarters on Tuesday. [South Gyeongsang Province]
South Gyeongsang Province Governor Park Wan-su chairs an emergency meeting on heat waves and drought at the provincial disaster and safety headquarters on Tuesday. [South Gyeongsang Province]

South Gyeongsang Province Governor Park Wan-su chaired an emergency meeting on heat waves and drought at the provincial disaster and safety headquarters on Tuesday, ordering stronger on-the-ground responses including protection of elderly residents and outdoor workers, securing agricultural water supplies, and minimizing damage to the fisheries and livestock sectors.

"The current heat wave and drought are a grave disaster situation directly linked to the lives of our residents," Park said at the meeting. "The administration's top priority is to ensure that not a single person is harmed."

He instructed officials to ensure that welfare checks on elderly residents, village broadcast announcements and field inspections are carried out in substance rather than as a formality, and to step up guidance discouraging fieldwork during the midday heat. He also directed provincial and municipal officials to conduct daily checks — in coordination with local governments — on whether outdoor workers at construction sites, forestry worksites and traditional markets are being guaranteed rest breaks and refraining from work during peak heat hours.

The meeting was attended by the administrative vice governor, heads of provincial departments and bureaus, the mayors and county chiefs of all cities and counties in the province, and representatives from related agencies including the Changwon Meteorological Administration, Korea Rural Community Corporation, Korea Water Resources Corporation and the 39th Infantry Division. Participants reviewed the current status of heat wave and drought response measures and discussed plans going forward.

According to the province, major heat wave alerts are in effect across six cities and counties in the region, with heat wave advisories covering most of the province as of Tuesday. As of Monday, 122 people had suffered heat-related illnesses and three had died. The province has been operating its disaster and safety headquarters at emergency Level 1 since Sunday, when the heat wave crisis alert was raised to "Serious."

The province has mobilized a total of 3.27 billion won ($2.24 million) in emergency funds for local governments — comprising 2.37 billion won in special grants and 900 million won from the disaster management fund — to install heat-reduction facilities, expand the operation of cooling centers and protect vulnerable populations. Cooling centers will remain open until 10 p.m. on weekdays and until 6 p.m. on weekends.

Drought response was also on the agenda, with officials reviewing the management of agricultural and household water supplies. Local governments shared their difficulties in the field: Miryang requested support for installing agricultural water supply facilities and drought-response project funding, while Changnyeong-gun called for assistance with reservoir dredging and water development projects. Park directed officials to actively review support measures for both requests.

In the fisheries sector, the province is responding to high water temperatures by strengthening on-site guidance to reduce damage to farmed fish — including early harvesting, adjusting feed supply and deploying oxygen supply equipment.

In the livestock sector, the province is reinforcing disease prevention against African swine fever, foot-and-mouth disease and other livestock infectious diseases, as heat waves and sudden heavy rains weaken animals' immune systems. Officials urged farms to comply with biosecurity protocols, including ventilating livestock facilities, inspecting shade screens, controlling farm access, disinfecting premises and administering vaccines.

Meanwhile, South Gyeongsang Province said it will work to minimize damage from the prolonged heat wave and drought by strengthening protection of vulnerable groups, reducing agricultural losses, securing water supplies, responding to high water temperatures, reinforcing livestock disease prevention and improving the dissemination of disaster information.


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