The recent “monster heat wave,” which has given people little time to adapt to the soaring temperatures, has caused a record number of heat-related illnesses over the past week, with 1,146 people seeking emergency medical treatment. The figure is the highest since the country began keeping records in 2011, surpassing the level recorded during the notorious 2018 heat wave. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) on Thursday, 2,872 people had been diagnosed with heat-related illnesses between May 15, when the agency began operating its heat-related illness surveillance system, and Wednesday. That was about 86 percent of the 3,321 cases recorded during the same period last year. However, the number of heat-related deaths this year stood at 23, two more than last year. The KDCA counts the daily number of people who visit 516 emergency rooms nationwide with conditions such as heatstroke and heat exhaustion. The lower cumulative number of heat-related illnesses this year is attributable to relatively mild weather through early July. According to the Korea Meteo