The Seoul city government has issued a citywide heat-wave advisory and activated an emergency command center to combat an intense late-July heatwave [1, 2].
These measures aim to prevent heat-related deaths and illnesses among the city's most vulnerable populations as temperatures peak during the final week of the month [1, 3].
To provide immediate relief, municipal authorities opened 24 district offices to serve as 24-hour shelters [1]. The city has also launched "cooling roads" and installed water-mist systems to lower ambient temperatures in urban areas [2].
Officials expanded safety checks at construction sites and in areas with high homeless populations [1]. The city is also conducting welfare checks and utilizing an emergency response system to monitor residents at risk [1].
The urgency of these measures follows earlier reports of heat-related health crises. On July 13, the city reported nine patients suffering from heat-related illnesses in a single day [3].
Infrastructure pressure remains high as the city manages a massive population during the weather event. Daily travel volume is expected to reach 6.14 million people [4].
These combined efforts, ranging from high-tech road cooling to basic shelter access, represent a comprehensive municipal attempt to mitigate the urban heat island effect during a period of extreme weather [1, 2].
“Seoul city government has issued a citywide heat-wave advisory”
Seoul's multi-layered response indicates a shift toward integrating infrastructure-based cooling, such as water-mist systems and cooling roads, with social welfare services. By converting administrative offices into 24-hour shelters, the city is acknowledging that traditional cooling centers may be insufficient for the scale of the current heatwave and the volume of the commuting population.
