SEOUL — A severe heatwave sweeping across South Korea has triggered a dramatic surge in heat-related emergency hospitalizations, with daily patient counts soaring nearly nine times higher than the previous year.

According to data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) released on Friday, August 7, 2026, a total of 185 patients visited emergency rooms nationwide on August 6 due to heat illnesses. This represents an 8.8-fold jump compared to the 21 cases recorded on the exact same date last year.

Since monitoring began on May 15, cumulative heat-related illnesses have reached 2,872, with 23 deaths nationwide. Daily patient numbers consistently exceeded 100 in early August and topped 200 for three consecutive days—recording 206 cases on August 3, 209 on August 4, and 220 on August 5.

By condition, heat exhaustion was the most common diagnosis at 62.0%, followed by heat stroke (17.3%) and heat cramps (11.1%). The most frequent time of onset was early morning between 6:00 AM and 10:00 AM (12.9%), exceeding peak afternoon hours such as 2:00–3:00 PM (10.1%), 3:00–4:00 PM (9.5%), and 4:00–5:00 PM (9.2%).

Outdoor construction and job sites saw the highest incidence at 25.5%, followed by roadsides (12.4%) and agricultural fields (12.3%). Indoor environments were also affected, with indoor workplaces and residences accounting for 8.1% and 8.0% of cases, respectively. Health officials continue to urge high caution as extreme heat persists.

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