South Korean President Orders Nationwide Response to Heatwave

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a press conference to mark the first anniversary of his inauguration at Yeongbingwan of Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, on June 8, 2026. Chung Sung-Jun/Getty ImagesSouth Korean President Lee ​Jae Myung has ordered government agencies to mobilize emergency resources, as temperatures in parts of the country are set to exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday.Lee told a heatwave response meeting on Aug. 6 that stronger safeguards for residents were needed, as well as stricter enforcement of rest breaks for outdoor workers during peak temperature hours.The heatwave is expected to peak over Seoul on Thursday, with forecasts of temperatures up to 102 degrees Fahrenheit in the capital. This would bring the temperature close to Seoul’s record high of 103 degrees, set in August 2018 during the country’s last historic heatwave.“Extreme heat on a scale we have ​never experienced is continuing day after day. Heatwave conditions once seen ⁠only in foreign news reports have now become our reality,” Lee said during the meeting.The heatwave has already been blamed for 21 deaths in the country.The move followed the president’s labeling the heatwave a “state disaster” on Aug. 4.The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said in a statement that all games have been canceled until Aug. 9 due to high temperatures.“With the number of areas under severe heat wave warnings increasing nationwide, the KBO decided to cancel the weekend three-game series from the 7th to the 9th due to the heat, following the cancellation of all games on the 5th and 6th,” the body said.The KBO said that on Aug. 4, during a game between the LG Twins and SSG Landers in Incheon, west of Seoul, a male spectator in his 20s collapsed and lost consciousness on the stairs. After receiving first aid, he regained consciousness and was then transported to the hospital.Other Countries Experience High TempsOn Aug. 5, Japan’s environment ministry issued a heatstroke alert for most of the western and southern parts of the country.The heatwave comes as Japanese relief crews continue the cleanup work in the aftermath of the 7.1 magnitude earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu on July 28. As of Wednesday, more than 43,000 households were still without water.Zoo animals in Japan have been affected by the extreme temperatures.Tama Zoological Park said three lions had died from the heat. The zoo said that a 3-year-old female called Mugi developed a loss of appetite on July 19, and her condition deteriorated over the following days despite efforts to cool her down and provide medical treatment via subcutaneous fluid, liver tonics, and vitamins. She died on July 28.The zoo said that two other lionesses—Ichigo, 11, and Luena, 15—died within a few days.Officials said that autopsy results for all three animals showed signs of dehydration and multiple organ failure.Other parts of the world have also been experiencing heatwaves this summer, including Europe and the United States.Italy on Aug. 6 put all its major cities on a red health alert due ​to high temperatures.The alerts stretched ​from Bolzano in the mountainous north of mainland Italy to Palermo on the southern island of Sicily. Temperatures topped 104 degrees Fahrenheit in parts of the Emilia-Romagna region in the north, with Bagnacavallo, in the province of Ravenna, reaching 109 degrees.Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.