A nationwide firefighting force is being deployed to the Gyeongnam region. As the prolonged heatwave and drought have worsened the shortage of agricultural and domestic water, the National Fire Agency has issued a national fire mobilization order.

17 of 18 Cities and Counties in Gyeongnam Enter Drought Stages... Water Storage at Half of Normal Levels According to the Agricultural Drought Management System (ADMS), the average water storage rate in the Gyeongnam region has dropped to 33.5%, recording the lowest level in the country. This is merely 46.8% of the average storage rate for a typical year (72%). Currently, 17 out of 18 cities and counties in Gyeongnam have entered the agricultural water drought stage. In particular, three regions—Miryang, Geoje, and Haman—are at the most dangerous "serious" stage. The agricultural water drought stages are divided into four levels based on storage rates: ▲Attention (70% or below), ▲Caution (60% or below), ▲Alert (50% or below), and ▲Serious (40% or below).

National Fire Mobilization Order Issued Following President Lee Jae-myung's Directive As drought damage spread, the National Fire Agency issued a "National Fire Mobilization Order" for the Gyeongnam region effective 8:00 PM on the 11th. A national fire mobilization order is issued when it is difficult for a specific city or province alone to effectively respond to a disaster, or when nationwide deployment of firefighting forces is necessary. This decision follows President Lee Jae-myung's directive to mobilize all administrative capabilities to minimize the impact on citizens caused by the heatwave and drought.

A National Fire Agency official stated, "The Gyeongnam Fire Headquarters requested the mobilization order after determining that its own firefighting forces alone have limitations in providing water supply support due to the ongoing drought, and after a comprehensive review of the situation on the ground, we determined that nationwide firefighting support is necessary."

Firefighting Forces from 16 Cities and Provinces Nationwide Deployed... Water Supply Support Until the 13th Under this mobilization order, 200 water tankers and 400 firefighters from 16 city and provincial fire headquarters nationwide—including Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Incheon, and Gwangju—will be dispatched to Gyeongnam. The dispatched firefighting forces will gather at designated staging areas by 9:00 AM on the 12th and carry out water supply support activities for two days until the 13th. The water tankers will be distributed and deployed across the jurisdictions of 14 fire stations within Gyeongnam, including Jinju, Tongyeong, Sacheon, and Gimhae. The National Fire Agency determined the scale of deployment by comprehensively considering regional water storage rates, drought crisis stages, and water supply demand. Once Gyeongnam Province and each city and county pre-select areas in urgent need of water and water sources, agricultural and domestic water will be supplied through firefighting water tankers. Support will be focused on areas with severe domestic water shortages and agricultural regions that have suffered significant drought damage.

Choi Yong-cheol, Acting Commissioner of the National Fire Agency, stated, "Due to the prolonged heatwave and drought, direct damage is occurring to the daily lives and livelihoods of the people." He added, "We will swiftly deploy all available firefighting forces nationwide to ensure that water is supplied in a timely manner to areas in need."