President Lee Jae Myung Declares South Korea's Record-Breaking Heat Wave a National Disaster
President Lee Jae Myung has designated the ongoing heat wave in South Korea as a national disaster, urging officials to overhaul the national crisis system as extreme weather becomes the new normal. The heat wave has produced the country's highest temperature in 122 years, reaching 42.5 degrees Celsius in the city of Yangsan. Since mid-May, the extreme heat has resulted in 19 deaths and over 2,000 heat-related illnesses across the country. In response, Seoul authorities have launched initiatives to mitigate the heat, including deploying a fleet of 200 trucks to spray water on roads and conducting health checks on 63,000 vulnerable residents. The heat wave is also affecting neighboring regions, with Japan reporting over 18,000 people transported to hospitals for heat stroke. In Japan, the heat has complicated recovery efforts following a 7.1-magnitude earthquake in Kumamoto, where a woman in her 70s was allegedly killed by heatstroke while seeking shelter in her car. Additionally, three lions at Tama Zoological Park died from suspected heat-related causes within a week.