South Korea issued its highest-level heat alert across all of Seoul on Tuesday, as President Lee Jae Myung urged the government to treat the prolonged heat wave as a national disaster and take immediate measures to protect lives. A water-spraying truck in operation at a zoo in Gwangju on Tuesday (Yonhap) The Korea Meteorological Administration expanded the severe heat warning to Seoul’s northeastern and northwestern districts at 11 a.m., extending the alert to the entire capital after it had already been in effect in the city’s southeastern and southwestern areas.The highest-level warning, issued when the daily maximum perceived temperature is expected to exceed 38 degrees Celsius or the daytime high is forecast to surpass 39 C, calls for an immediate halt to outdoor activities, except for essential work.Intense heat has been gripping South Korea for days, although mostly concentrated in southern regions so far, pushing temperatures to record levels in parts of the country and disrupting daily life. The country saw a new national record for the highest temperature ever recorded in Yangsang on Sunday at 42.5 C.Officials have warned of rising heat-related illnesses, while authorities have stepped up measures to protect vulnerable groups and workers exposed to extreme conditions.During a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, Lee said the government should “consider the current situation a national disaster” and mobilize all available resources to safeguard the public. President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Tuesday. (Yonhap) “Protecting people’s lives is the most urgent task,” Lee said, instructing officials to strengthen support for vulnerable groups, including people living in cramped housing and elderly residents living alone.He also called for stricter monitoring of outdoor workplaces and enclosed work environments, urging officials to ensure workers’ right to suspend operations during extreme heat is effectively enforced.