S. Korea to Introduce 'Grave Heat Warning' System Amid Expected Severe Summer Weather

SEOUL, June 5 (Yonhap) -- Prime Minister Kim Min-seok paid a visit to the state weather agency Friday to check its readiness to issue weather advisories so as to minimize damage from heavy rains and heat waves expected in the coming months. Kim visited the National Meteorological and Satellite Center at the Korea Meteorological Administration and was briefed on what the weather will look like this summer, as well as a set of new measures the agency plans to take to better caution the public against extreme weather conditions. The agency reported that the country will experience higher temperatures and heavier rains than usual this summer and that it will create a new top-tier heat advisory, called a "grave heat warning," in case temperatures are 38 C or higher, alongside a new "tropical night advisory." A tropical night refers to a phenomenon when nighttime temperatures stay above 25 C from 6:01 p.m. to 9 a.m. the following day. In addition, emergency text messages will be sent to residents in affected regions in the event of heavy downpours exceeding 100 millimeters of rain per hour, while the time between a major earthquake and an emergency text message will be shortened from the current 5-10 seconds to 3-5 seconds, the agency reported. Kim asked the agency to strengthen cooperation with other government agencies to ensure that the tropical night advisory and other envisioned measures will lead to better protection of the elderly and other vulnerable groups, according to his office.