First-Ever Severe Heat Warning Issued for All of Seoul as Temperatures Forecast to Hit 38°C

1. Intense heat is gathering strength, mainly centered around the western part of the Korean Peninsula. A severe heat warning has been issued for the entire Seoul metropolitan area, including the capital itself. This severe heat warning is the highest tier of heat advisories introduced this year. Notably, this is the first time such a warning has been issued for Seoul. Today, Seoul's daytime high is forecast to soar to 38°C (100°F), marking the hottest day of this summer. The Seoul Metropolitan Government has launched all-out response measures, including road sprinkling and protecting vulnerable populations such as residents in jjogbangchon (iny-room shanties).

2. Regarding the amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act—which abolishes prosecutors' direct investigative powers—being submitted to the Cabinet meeting today, President Lee Jae-myung stated that while there is much controversy, it is hard to view the situation as severe enough to deny the National Assembly's legislative authority, and thus it does not seem to have reached the stage of exercising veto power. At the same time, he emphasized supplementary measures, noting that distrust in police investigations has not been completely resolved. The amendment was approved at today's Cabinet meeting without the President exercising his veto.

3. Today's morning newspapers unanimously featured this news as their top story. The government has announced a reform plan for real estate taxes. The focus is on easing the burden for single-home owners who actually live in their houses while increasing the burden for non-residents who own homes but do not live in them. Tax burdens for ultra-high-priced homes are projected to increase compared to before. Capital gains tax deduction benefits, which were previously granted simply for long-term ownership, will be eliminated.

4. Targeting the tax reform plan centered on owner-occupied single homes announced by the government yesterday, the People Power Party launched an all-out offensive, calling it a "tax nuclear bomb" and a "tax contract." They criticized it as extortionate taxation, asking if it ultimately meant collecting an extra 3.4 trillion won in taxes. In response, the Democratic Party defended the government's plan as a process of tax normalization. They rebutted that the People Power Party is repeating outdated propaganda about a "tax bomb." They also emphasized that they will examine the policy's effects through the National Assembly's deliberation process.

(Photo: Yonhap News)

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