Summer Heat Wave

[Anchor Lead]

The record-breaking heat in Korea has prompted the government to recognize this year's heat wave as a natural disaster and to take necessary measures, such as lowering electricity fees. The ruling and opposition parties are also pushing to include heat waves on the list of state-managed natural disasters.

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Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon has visited a household in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do Province. He wanted to hear in person how the underprivileged such as elderly people living alone are coping with the unprecedented heat.

[Soundbite] "(Is an electric fan enough for you to endure the heat?) I have no other choice."

Nearby poultry farms are already concerned about electricity fees, as they have to use a lot of cooling devices to lower the temperature. Prime Minister Lee has instructed the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to find ways to cut electricity fees to at least some extent in order to alleviate public concerns over power consumption during the prolonged heat. This means that this year's heat wave is severe enough to be classified as a special disaster.

[Soundbite] Lee Nak-yon(Prime Minister) : "I have asked the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to find out if the government can share the burden of electricity costs rather than imposing it entirely on the Electric Power Corporation."

The National Assembly has also agreed to push for revising relevant laws to include heat waves in the list of natural disasters. A special task force comprised of officials from the ruling and opposition parties convened a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the matter. Under the current law, heat waves are not classified as natural disasters. Therefore, there are no preventative measures in place to tackle such events or to compensate those who sustain damages from the hot weather. The political parties have agreed to process the bill on the revision of the Disaster and Safety Management Basic Act at an extraordinary parliamentary session in August.