A person wears a hat to shield themselves from the sun as they walk near Hongik University in Mapo District, Seoul, Aug. 6. Yonhap
The number of heat-related illness cases reported in late summer nearly tripled in the past 10 years, government data showed Saturday.
An annual average of 215 heat-related patients were reported from "ipchu" to the end of August during the 2011-2015 period, according to an analysis by a research institute under the interior ministry using data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Ipchu, which falls on Aug. 7 this year, marks the beginning of autumn on the traditional calendar.
The figure rose to an annual average of 658 cases in 2016-2020 and to 638 cases in 2021-2025.
Deaths linked to heat-related illnesses also increased during the same period, rising from an annual average of 3.3 patients in 2012-2015 to more than four patients over the past decade from 2016 to 2025.
