Heat-related illnesses are on the rise nationwide in the wake of a prolonged heat wave.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) on Wednesday, 51 people were admitted to emergency rooms around the country the previous day, succumbing to heat-related illnesses.

Between May 20 and July 1, this year's cumulative count of 508 patients at some 500 emergency rooms jumped 30-point-three percent compared to 390 from a year earlier.

Three people are assumed to have died from the heat so far this year, one more compared to the same period last year.

Fifty-two-point-five percent of the patients experienced heat exhaustion, followed by 20 percent suffering heatstroke, and 14-point-five percent reporting heat cramps.