President Lee Jae-myung Presides Over Heatwave and Drought Inspection Meeting: "All-out and Preemptive Response Required"

As extreme heat continues with heavy heatwave warnings issued for most of the Seoul metropolitan area, inland Gangwon, and parts of Jeolla, President Lee Jae-myung presided over an inspection meeting on heatwave and drought response measures.

Presiding over the meeting at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters at the Government Complex Seoul today (the 6th), President Lee urged, "The kind of extreme heat we used to see only in foreign news is now becoming our reality. As the heatwave is likely to persist for a while, I ask that you maintain an extraordinary resolve and operate an all-out response system until the heatwave subsides."

Today's meeting was attended by key cabinet ministers, including Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Ho-jung and Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment Kim Sung-hwan, along with multiple senior aides from the presidential office.

Local government heads and senior officials, including Seoul's 2nd Vice Mayor for Administration Kim Sung-bo, Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Mayor Min Hyung-bae, and Busan's Future Innovation Vice Mayor Oh Seok-keun, also participated via video link.

"Protecting the lives and safety of the people is the most important duty of the government," President Lee said, asking all ministries and local governments to "mobilize all available manpower and resources to make every possible effort to minimize heatwave damages."

In particular, he added instructions to thoroughly inspect protective measures for vulnerable groups such as elderly people living alone and residents of gowon-chon (improvised rooftop housing areas), as well as work suspensions and rest periods for outdoor laborers.

President Lee also stated, "Please take thorough precautions to prevent damage to livestock, farmed fish, and crops, and closely manage the safety of social infrastructure such as roads and railways, as well as the power supply and demand situation."

Regarding the drought situation in the southern regions, President Lee called for a "preemptive response" from the government and local governments.

"As there is no rain forecast for the time being, we must actively promote alternative water supply and the operation of pumping equipment to ensure there are no disruptions in a stable water supply," Lee said. He added, "For regions without public water systems, such as remote islands and mountainous areas, I hope we can pursue mid- to long-term water resource acquisition measures, such as developing alternative water sources, alongside short-term measures like emergency water supplies."

President Lee further emphasized, "All administrative power must be mobilized to minimize public damage from heatwaves and droughts. I ask each agency to respond with a sense of responsibility so that the public can feel the response firsthand, and to thoroughly look after the health and safety of frontline response personnel, including public officials, police officers, firefighters, and volunteers."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.