The Persistent Hot Weather in South Korea Has Caused 20 Deaths

Media reports on August 12, 2024, stated that South Korea has recently experienced persistent hot weather. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety of South Korea released data on the 11th. As of the 10th of this month, the high temperatures in South Korea have caused 20 deaths.

Affected by the high temperatures, food is more susceptible to bacterial contamination, and the number of cases of bacterial enteritis has risen sharply. Data shows that the number of patients with bacterial enteritis in the fourth week of July this year was 502, about 1.6 times that of early July, setting the highest weekly record in the past five years.

High temperatures not only threaten human health but also cause considerable economic losses to the livestock and fishery industries. Special alerts for high temperatures in most areas of South Korea are still ongoing.

In addition, according to news reported on August 2, 2023, previously, data released by the South Korean fire department showed that as of August 1 of that year, the high temperatures in South Korea that summer had caused 23 deaths. Most of the deceased were elderly people, and most of the deaths occurred in rural areas, and most of them died while farming in the fields. From May 20 when the government launched the emergency response to the intense heat until the end of July, 21 people died due to high temperatures; on August 1, one person each died of heatstroke in Yeongcheon City, North Gyeongsang Province, and Jeongeup City, North Jeolla Province. So far, the cumulative number of deaths was 23. At that time, the maximum temperatures in many places in South Korea exceeded 38 degrees Celsius. Icheon City, south of the capital Seoul, recorded a maximum temperature of 38.4 degrees Celsius on the 1st. The combination of high temperatures and humidity made the perceived temperature even higher. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety of South Korea raised the country's high temperature warning to the highest level on the 1st, the first time in nearly four years.