Pedestrians walk along a mist-spraying zone to cool off on a street in Seoul on August 3, 2026, as a scorching heat wave continues to grip South Korea. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP)
Seoul: South Korea's summer heat has killed 16 people so far this year, the interior ministry said Tuesday, as the nation swelters in a wave of searing weather.
Between May 15 and August 2, a total of 2,025 people have suffered heat-related illnesses, of which 16 people have died, a ministry statement said.
South Korea's heat record has been broken three times over the past week, with the latest all-time high set at 42.5C in the city of Yangsan on Sunday.
The whole of Seoul was under the highest-level "severe heatwave warning" alert Tuesday, with temperatures forecast to soar again close to 40C.
"Extreme, life-threatening heat is forecast," the weather agency said in a statement Tuesday.
