Health authorities report 300 patients so far, with cases spreading beyond older adults, as early heat wave warnings begin Students at the Gyeongsan Middle School in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, wash their faces after gym class on Wednesday. The nation's first heat wave warning was issued Wednesday in Gyeongsan and other parts of the province. (Yonhap) South Korea has already seen 300 people visit emergency rooms for heat-related illnesses this summer, a sharp increase from the same period last year, as weather authorities project hotter-than-usual conditions in the months ahead.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Thursday that it had recorded 300 heat-related illness patients as of Tuesday through its monitoring system covering 516 emergency rooms nationwide. The figure is up from 192 during the same period in 2025.On Tuesday alone, 13 people received emergency medical treatment due to hot weather.Heat exhaustion made up the largest share of cases, accounting for more than half of all patients, with 156 cases. Heatstroke followed with 60 cases, while 49 patients were treated for heat syncope.The cases were not limited to just older people. Patients were spread across nearly all age groups, with those in their 40s making up the largest share, followed closely by those in their 30s. Still, older adults remained a major risk group, with people aged 65 or older accounting for about 30 percent of all patients.The early rise in heat-related illnesses comes after an unusually warm spring.According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the national average temperature this spring stood at 13.3 degrees Celsius, 1.4 degrees higher than the 30-year average. It was the second-highest spring average temperature recorded since nationwide weather observations began in 1973.The KDCA said the nation’s first heat-related death of the year was reported on May 15. The victim was a man in his 80s.Weather authorities expect hotter-than-usual conditions to continue through the summer. The KMA projected a 60 percent chance that temperatures in June and July would be higher than the 30-year average, and a 50 percent chance that August would also be hotter than usual.The first heat wave warnings of the year were issued Wednesday in parts of North Gyeongsang Province.In response to rising temperatures, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has launched a campaign encouraging employees and residents to wear shorts and light clothing to work.