The Ministry of Interior and Safety said Sunday it would raise the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters to Level 2 as of 1 p.m. that day, strengthening a pan-government response to the prolonged nationwide heat wave.
Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung directed senior officials from central government ministries and local governments to reinforce a field-centered response system, including conducting on-site inspections once a week or daily.
The ministry will dispatch director-general-level field managers to the Greater Seoul area and southern regions including South Gyeongsang Province, and send field situation managers across the country to directly assess regional heat wave response conditions and support needs.
The ministry also plans to provide an additional 170 million won ($118,000) in disaster relief support funds — including 80 million won for the South Jeolla-Gwangju integrated special city, 20 million won each for Busan and Ulsan, and 50 million won for South Gyeongsang Province — following the issuance of multiple "extreme heat major alerts" centered on southern regions.
In addition, the ministry plans to provide an emergency 5.75 billion won in special disaster safety grants to drought-affected areas including South Gyeongsang and North Gyeongsang provinces, which are struggling with water supply shortages due to insufficient rainfall and falling reservoir levels.
"Heat waves and droughts are disasters that directly threaten not only the livelihoods of farmers but also the daily lives of vulnerable groups such as the elderly and outdoor workers," Yun said. "Through Level 2 operations, we will manage the response situation between central and local governments more closely, and do everything in our power to minimize public harm by swiftly providing the administrative and fiscal support needed on the ground."
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Han Seong-sook issued an emergency directive Sunday to related ministries and local governments to actively respond to matters under their jurisdiction, as the heat wave intensified and drought damage concerns were raised in some areas.
Temperatures in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, soared to 42.5 degrees Celsius on Sunday, breaking the all-time national record in 122 years of domestic meteorological observation. The record fell before the time of day when peak temperatures typically occur, raising the possibility that temperatures could climb even higher.
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