With the intense heat wave expected to stick around for at least the next several days, President Moon Jae-in is calling for measures to deal with what he believes should be considered a natural disaster.<br />Our chief presidential office correspondent Moon Connyoung has more.<br /><br /> The record breaking heat wave sweeping across the nation also took grip of the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday as President Moon Jae-in raised the need to include heat wave in the list of natural disasters under the Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety.<br /><br /> "I urge you to recognize the prolonged heat wave as a form of special disaster and once again carefully review related measures."<br /><br /> South Korea has been under a hot spell in recent days with day time highs setting records every day resulting in heat-related illnesses and even deaths.<br />The South Korean president called on his government to swiftly draw up a crisis management manual and create basis for damage compensation.<br /><br /> "Just as urgent are measures to counter food poisoning and infectious diseases and to deal with roads and train tracks damaged in the scorching heat."<br /><br /> The current disasters and safety act defines "natural disasters" as situations caused by weather conditions such as typhoons, floods, droughts, earthquakes and meteorites, but not intense heat.<br /><br /> The nation's disaster control center has been maintaining that stance citing reasons that temperature fluctuations following seasonal changes were predictable.<br /><br /> But, with rising death toll and damages from heat-related causes, the South Korean government recently decided to support the National Assembly when it reviews revision of the related laws.<br /><br /> President Moon also ordered the nation's energy ministry to disclose its power supply plan, its forecast and countermeasures as demand for electricity soars on earlier-than-expected and ever intense heat conditions.<br /><br />Moon Connyoung, Arirang News, the Blue House. <br />
