Regional Distribution and Characteristics of Heat-Related Illnesses in the Capital Region in 2025: Focusing on Seoul,...

This study aims to evaluate the regional patterns and characteristics of heat-related illnesses across Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi, and Gangwon, which are under the jurisdiction of the Capital Regional Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Data were obtained from the 2025 Heat-Related Illness Emergency Department Surveillance System of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

Data were collected from May 15 to September 25, 2025. The surveillance system was based on the voluntary participation of emergency medical institutions, with 516 hospitals participating nationwide and 212 within the designated study area. Reported cases and suspected deaths were classified according to the place where the symptoms occurred, and regional characteristics and the distribution of cases at the city/country/district level were analyzed.

In 2025, there were 1,808 cases of heat-related illness and 11 suspected deaths recorded within the study area, accounting for 40.5% and 37.9% of the national totals, respectively. Compared with the previous year, reported cases increased by 60.9% in Seoul, 36.6% in Incheon, 27.5% in Gyeonggi, and 7.5% in Gangwon. These increases exceeded the national average increase of 20.4%. The proportion of patients aged 65 years or older was highest in Seoul (37.6%), whereas patients aged 30-59 years accounted for 47.4% of cases in Gyeonggi, where workplace-related occurrences were relatively prominent. The most common settings where heat-related illnesses occurred differed by region: roadsides and sports fields or parks in Seoul, outdoor worksites and roadsides in Incheon and Gyeonggi, and fields and roadsides in Gangwon.

The data demonstrate that the incidence of heat-related illnesses in Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi, and Gangwon varied by age, occupation, timing, and location, with case distributions also varying at the local (city/country/district) level. These findings suggest that prevention strategies should consider these regional characteristics and distributions patterns into account and be developed in coordination with local government heatwave response systems.