South Korea under emergency advisory as heatwave days increase

South Korea issued its first-ever heatwave-alert" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="163764" data-entity-type="event">emergency heatwave alert on Sunday under a new warning system launched this year, advising people to halt outdoor activities and keep cool.The new warning system was introduced to better deal with a rising number of heatwaves in South Korea, which have become longer and more intense, officials said.An emergency alert is issued when areas experiencing a heatwave are forecast to hit perceived temperatures of 38°C or an actual temperature of 39°C for one day.“The Korea Meteorological Administration issued an Emergency heatwave Warning at 10am today for two cities in southern North Gyeongsang Province – Gyeongsan and Pohang,” said agency chief Lee Mi-seon at a press briefing.“This marks the first time it has been issued since the system took effect,” she added.The affected areas saw temperatures reach the emergency criteria over the weekend.