With the intense heat wave expected to stick
around for at least the next several days,
President Moon Jae-in is calling for measures
to deal with what he believes should be considered
a natural disaster.
Our chief presidential office correspondent
Moon Connyoung has more.
The record breaking heat wave sweeping across
the nation also took grip of the Cabinet meeting
on Tuesday as President Moon Jae-in raised
the need to include heat wave in the list
of natural disasters under the Act on the
Management of Disasters and Safety.
"I urge you to recognize the prolonged heat
wave as a form of special disaster and once
again carefully review related measures."
South Korea has been under a hot spell in
recent days with day time highs setting records
every day resulting in heat-related illnesses
and even deaths.
The South Korean president called on his government
to swiftly draw up a crisis management manual
and create basis for damage compensation.
"Just as urgent are measures to counter food
poisoning and infectious diseases and to deal
with roads and train tracks damaged in the
scorching heat."
The current disasters and safety act defines
"natural disasters" as situations caused by
weather conditions such as typhoons, floods,
droughts, earthquakes and meteorites, but
not intense heat.
The nation's disaster control center has been
maintaining that stance citing reasons that
temperature fluctuations following seasonal
changes were predictable.
But, with rising death toll and damages from
heat-related causes, the South Korean government
recently decided to support the National Assembly
when it reviews revision of the related laws.
President Moon also ordered the nation's energy
ministry to disclose its power supply plan,
its forecast and countermeasures as demand
for electricity soars on earlier-than-expected
and ever intense heat conditions.
Moon Connyoung, Arirang News, the Blue House.
