At least 16 people have died in South Korea, as a record heatwave hits the country. President Lee Jae Myung has called for increased support for those affected amid warnings that extreme weather was becoming more frequent.

Between May 15 and August 2 this year, a total of 2,025 people have suffered heat-related illnesses, the interior ministry said in a statement.

What did President Lee say?

"We need to make efforts for a fundamental overhaul of the national crisis system, ​since this extreme weather is becoming normal," President Lee said at a cabinet meeting, where he urged officials to accelerate measures to protect the daily lives of people. He also called for inspections of ‌power systems as demand for air ‌conditioning rises.

South Korea's southeastern island city of Yangsan recorded a temperature of 42.5 degrees Celsius (108.5 degrees Fahrenheit) on ‌Sunday, the highest measured in 122 years of ​observations, the national weather agency said.

After authorities issued their first-ever heatwave warning ⁠for parts of Seoul and Gyeonggi on Monday, the Korea Meteorological Administration extended it to the entire capital city on Tuesday. This was the first such advisory since the designation was introduced this year to alert the public about extreme temperatures.

South Korea grapples with historic heat wave

Temperatures in the capital hit 38 degrees Celsius at midday and were expected to fall only to about 29 degrees overnight. Residents were urged to stay indoors and drink plenty of water. The city has also designated about 4,000 public facilities as cooling centers.

While Seoul has a population of 9.6 million people, the wider metropolitan area is home to more than 25 million residents, which is about half of the country's population.

Scientists have warned that extreme weather events like heat waves are becoming increasingly frequent and more intense as a result of climate change.  

In Japan, cities have experienced "cruelly hot days" this summer, a new meteorological term the country uses to designate days with intense heat above 40 degrees. Tama Zoo in Tokyo announced Tuesday that three lions have died in the past week due to suspected complications from heatstroke as Japan swelters.

Europe has also faced a sweltering summer, with Germany's heat-related death toll for 2026 already surpassing every full-year total since 2016 — and expected to climb as another spell of extreme temperatures takes hold.

Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah

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