Lee Jae Myung says: "consider the current situation a national disaster" amid heat warning

South Korea’s capital came under the country’s most severe heat warning on Tuesday, after the weather agency extended the alert to all districts. Speaking at a Cabinet meeting the same day, President Lee Jae Myung said the prolonged hot weather should be handled as an emergency of national scope, and he directed officials to use every available resource to safeguard residents. The warning comes after days of extreme temperatures, including a national record of 42.5°C recorded Sunday in Yangsang. Authorities have warned that heat-related illnesses are rising. Lee also called for stronger protections for vulnerable people, such as older adults living alone, and for tighter oversight of outdoor and enclosed workplaces, including enforcing workers’ ability to stop work in dangerous heat.