That building found in every neighborhood is not serving as a community gathering place these days. When daytime temperatures reach dangerous levels, it becomes an officially designated refuge. Yet not many people know which locations have actually been designated.
3-Line Summary
1. Senior centers are designated and operated as heatwave shelters during periods of extreme heat
2. One in three heat-related illness patients this year is age 65 or older
3. Shelter locations can be checked in the Safety Stepping Stone app
Start With Where They Are
Heatwave shelters are locations designated in advance by local governments. Senior centers are the most common, but welfare centers, libraries, and bank branches are included as well. You cannot simply go anywhere to rest; there is a list.
There are three ways to find them.
The Safety Stepping Stone app is the fastest. Search for the name exactly as written in your app store and install it; once it accesses your location, it immediately shows nearby shelters. Installing it on your parents’ phones is also a good idea.
The Living Safety Map is convenient for viewing on a computer. Enter safemap.go.kr in the address bar, and shelters will appear on the map.
The National Disaster and Safety Portal is available at safekorea.go.kr. From Disaster Status, go to Local Conditions, then select Heatwave Shelters to view them by region and facility type.
Why Senior Centers in Particular?
The numbers make the reason clear.
According to a Kyunghyang Shinmun report citing Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency data, 1,889 people visited emergency rooms for heat-related illnesses between May 15 and August 1 this year. There were 14 estimated deaths. On August 1 alone, 96 people were taken to emergency rooms.
Of these, 607 people were age 65 or older, accounting for 32.1%. Given their share of the population, that is on the high side. Looking at where cases occurred, 78.8% were outdoors, and 269 people collapsed in rice fields and other farmland.
In other words, the place where risk is concentrated is outdoors during the daytime, and the people most exposed to risk are older adults. Senior centers already exist in every neighborhood, are places these people regularly visit, and have air conditioning. They are the nearest indoor spaces that can be used without building anything new.
One further point: early August is the period when damage is most concentrated every year. In 2024, 28.2% of all patients that year and 44.1% of estimated deaths occurred during this period of a little more than 10 days. This is exactly that time.
Who Pays the Cooling Bill?
Even with air conditioning, people may not turn it on if they fear the electricity bill. That is why local governments separately support cooling costs for senior centers during heatwave periods.
What Iksan City announced on the 5th is one example. It said it is providing cooling-cost support so senior centers can be used as heatwave shelters during extreme heat, and that the mayor personally visited senior centers to check whether cooling equipment was operating properly and whether support was actually reaching them.
The requests made at those visits show the reality instead: replace old cooling equipment, increase cooling-cost support, and raise senior-center operating expenses. The system exists, but the funding is insufficient.
Support methods and amounts differ by city and county. If you want to know the situation in your neighborhood, it is most accurate to check notices on your city hall or county office website.
The Problem Comes After the Doors Close
Senior centers have operating hours. Many close in the evening and on weekends, but the heat remains during those hours too. Days when temperatures do not fall at night are the truly dangerous days.
That is why a method is used in which public buildings, such as city halls and welfare centers, are also designated as shelters and kept open for use after the institutions finish their regular work. Iksan City said it is doing so.
Outdoor facilities are also increasing. On the 5th, Hwaseong Special City’s Hyohang-gu said it inspected smart shelters, intersection shade canopies, and outdoor air-conditioning units. This involves checking whether shade canopies that automatically open and close using sensors work properly and whether the air inside shelters is acceptable. Water trucks that spray roads are also part of the same measures.
This district office said it would respond to extreme heat as a disaster, rather than as a seasonal phenomenon. That wording may seem excessive, but it does not after seeing the death toll above.
What You Can Do Today
Install the app first. If you look up locations around your home and around your parents’ home in advance, you will not need to search in an emergency.
Check operating hours before going. A designation is of no use if the doors are closed. If it is your first time visiting, a quick phone call is faster.
Postpone outdoor work during the day. The statistics point to farmland and outdoor work sites. No matter how urgent the task, it is better to avoid afternoon hours.
Make a phone call. Local governments are checking on people through disaster helpers and village and neighborhood leader contact networks, but nothing is faster than a daily call from family. If there are signs such as dizziness or slurred speech, it is best not to delay.
If heat-related illness is suspected, the basic response guidance is to move the person to shade, cool their body, and contact 119. However, the appropriate judgment may differ depending on an individual’s underlying conditions or medications, so please follow medical professionals’ guidance for specific treatment.
Summary
Even if people know that senior centers are heatwave shelters, few know which building in their own neighborhood serves that role. Installing one app and tapping once to check around your parents’ home takes one minute. Statistics showing that early August is the most dangerous roughly 10-day period every year are telling us to spend that minute today.
References
- Kyunghyang Shinmun, “96 People Collapsed in a Single Day… Late-Arriving Heatwave, and the Critical Period for Heat-Related Illness Starts Now” (2026.8.2) — https://www.khan.co.kr/article/202608021729001/
- Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, “Results of the Heat-Related Illness Emergency Room Surveillance System” — https://www.kdca.go.kr/kdca/4921/subview.do
- Iksan City announcement, “Iksan Mayor Choi Jeong-ho Visits Heatwave Shelters Amid Extreme Heat” (2026.8.5)
- News Town, “Hwaseong City’s Hyohang-gu Responds Fully to Record Heat… Strengthens Safety of Neighborhood Cooling Facilities” (2026.8.5)
- Ministry of the Interior and Safety National Disaster and Safety Portal — https://www.safekorea.go.kr
- Ministry of the Interior and Safety Living Safety Map — https://www.safemap.go.kr