People shelter from the heat under umbrellas in Seoul on August 4, 2026. South Korea's summer heat has killed 16 people so far this year, the interior ministry said August 4, as the nation swelters in a wave of searing weather. — AFP pic First Published: Tuesday, 04 Aug 2026 3:32 PM MYT SEOUL, Aug 4 — South Korea’s summer heat has killed 16 people so far this year, the interior ministry said today, as the nation swelters in a wave of searing weather.Between May 15 and and August 2 a total of 2,025 people have suffered heat-related illnesses, of which 16 people have died, a ministry statement said.South Korea’s heat record has been broken three times over the past week, with the latest all-time high set at 42.5 degrees Celsius in the city of Yangsan on Sunday.The whole of Seoul was under the highest-level “severe heatwave warning” alert today, with temperatures forecast to soar again close to 40 degrees Celsius.“Extreme, life-threatening heat is forecast,” the weather agency said in a statement today. — AFP