Heat-related deaths in South Korea nearly quadruple in five years

South Korea recorded 34 suspected heat-related deaths through August 2026, nearly four times the nine deaths reported in 2022. The five-year total reached 138, according to Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency data obtained by Democratic Party lawmaker Heo Jong-sik.

The rising toll coincided with an unprecedented run of extreme summer heat. The three past summers ranked as the hottest since nationwide weather records began in 1973, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. The average temperature from June through August 2026 reached 25.4 degrees Celsius, or 1.7 degrees above the 1991-2020 average. Only 2025 and 2024 were hotter, with averages of 25.7 and 25.6 degrees, respectively.

Older people made up most of the recorded deaths. Of the 138 victims since 2022, 101, or 73.2%, were aged 60 or older. The total included 20 people in their 60s, 27 in their 70s and 54 aged 80 or above. People in the oldest age group accounted for 39.1% of all deaths over the five years, and 16 of the 34 deaths in 2026.

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With deaths from heat-related illnesses among the oldest age groups increasing, vulnerable people require particular attention.

The oldest victim was a 101-year-old woman in Gangneung, Gangwon province. The youngest was a 28-year-old man in Busan. Both had underlying cardiovascular conditions and died of heatstroke, the data showed. Seoul and North Jeolla province recorded six deaths each in 2026, while Busan, Incheon and South Gyeongsang province recorded four each. No deaths were recorded in Jeonnam-Gwangju, Daegu, Daejeon, Ulsan or Sejong.

“With deaths from heat-related illnesses among the oldest age groups increasing, vulnerable people require particular attention,” Heo said. “We need to establish a protection system that can manage high-risk groups and respond quickly when they face a crisis.”

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We need to establish a protection system that can manage high-risk groups and respond quickly when they face a crisis.