And with the hot and steamy weather gripping the nation for days,... the South Korean government has rolled up its sleeves for some countermeasures.
Our Choi Si-young with the details.
The Office for Government Policy Coordination has announced that it will secure at least a million additional kilowatts of electricity by the middle of August,... when power demand is expected to reach its peak.
It said it will also be ready to provide even more from thermal power stations in an emergency if the extra reserves are not enough.
The government promised to pay the air conditioning bills at public centers for senior citizens where many of the elderly like to spend time together.
It will also increase on-site check-ups on senior citizens living alone,... and it plans to offer cooling vests and ice packs to construction workers to help prevent heat stroke.
Hours will be extended to 9 p.m. at public facilities designated as heat shelters, where people can come in and cool off.
The government will not only provide air conditioners for farm animals, but also shorten the time it takes for farmers to receive disaster insurance payouts when there's damage caused by nature, as in the current heatwave.
It will also assist fish farms with money to buy oxygenators to minimize the impact of rising water temperatures.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said it has given out 10 billion U.S. dollars to provincial governments and encouraged them to spend the funds in a timely way as needs arise,... to effectively fight the heatwave.
Choi Si-young, Arirang News.
