Severe heat-related illness quadruples in five years: data

As South Korea recovers from the hottest summer in recent history, government data showed Thursday that the number of Koreans who visited an emergency room for heat-related illness this year has increased fourfold compared to five years ago.

A total of 4,370 people have suffered severe heat illness that required emergency medical care this year as of Sept. 6, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency data revealed by Rep. Han Ji-ah of the main opposition People Power Party.

The annual figure has been increasing every year from 1,078 in 2020, to 1,376 in 2021, 1,564 in 2022, 2,818 in 2023, and 3,704 in 2024.

The number of heat-related deaths has also trended upward since totaling nine in 2020 and 2021, rising to 32 in 2023 and 34 in 2024. This year's number, while not final, stands at 29.

Han said the climate issue has become a serious health risk in Korea, and requires legislative and systematic changes that would allow for a pan-governmental response by all related agencies and ministries.

A state analysis of the temperature from June to August indicated that 2025's summer was Korea's hottest on record. The average temperature for the three months — the period generally considered the summer season here — was 25.7 degrees Celsius.

It was slightly higher than the 25.6 degrees recorded in 2024, setting a new high for average summer temperatures nationwide since the Korea Meteorological Administration began keeping records in 1973.

The average daily high temperature between June and August also marked the all-time high since 1973 at 30.7 degrees, while the average daily low temperature was 21.5 degrees, second only to 21.7 degrees in 2024.