Heatwave deaths drove South Korea’s 2024 disaster toll to 387

An official points to a screen showing a map of South Korea that indicates the areas for heat wave warnings in effect (in red) and those for heat wave advisories in effect (in yellow) at the Korea Meteorological Administration in Seoul, South Korea, 30 July 2025, with temperatures rising to an intraday high of 38.2 degrees Celsius in the capital. File. Photo by YONHAP / EPA Jan. 13 (Asia Today) -- South Korea recorded 387 deaths tied to disasters in 2024, with a heatwave accounting for 108 fatalities, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said Tuesday. The ministry released its 2024 Disaster Yearbook and Disaster Annual Report, a compilation of casualties and damage from natural and social disasters. Total disaster casualties in 2024 were 387, including 121 from natural disasters and 266 from social disasters, the ministry said. Property damage reached 1.0418 trillion won ($709 million), including 910.7 billion won ($620 million) from natural disasters and 131.1 billion won ($89 million) from social disasters. Deaths and missing people from natural disasters totaled 121, more than double the recent 10-year average of 56, the ministry said. Heatwaves accounted for 108 of those deaths, or nearly 9 in 10 natural-disaster fatalities. The Korea Meteorological Administration said the number of heatwave days in 2024 was 30.1, the second-highest on record. Heavy snow and heavy rain caused seven and six deaths, respectively. Natural-disaster property damage totaled 910.7 billion won ($620 million), up 439.6 billion won ($299 million) from the recent 10-year average of 471.1 billion won ($320 million). Most damage came from heavy snow, at 454.2 billion won ($309 million), and heavy rain, at 423.9 billion won ($288 million). Recovery costs for natural disasters totaled 1.2379 trillion won ($842 million), the ministry said. The number of social disasters rose to 39, 16 more than the recent 10-year average of 23. Still, deaths and missing people from social disasters fell sharply to 266, down 3,386 from the recent 10-year average of 3,652, reflecting fewer deaths linked to COVID-19, the ministry said. Aircraft accidents caused the most social-disaster deaths, at 179, followed by marine accidents, at 39, and workplace accidents, at 23. Property damage from social disasters totaled 131.1 billion won ($89 million), down 842.3 billion won ($573 million) from the recent 10-year average of 973.4 billion won ($662 million). The largest share came from fires involving fire protection facilities, at 75.7 billion won ($51 million), followed by livestock epidemics, at 27.8 billion won ($19 million), and workplace accidents, at 11.3 billion won ($8 million), the ministry said. -- Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI © Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

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