Municipal governments are preparing measures to protect residents from the heat as South Korea has been in the grip of unseasonably hot weather.

The southwestern city of Gwangju said on Friday that it set up diverse measures following the issuance of a heat wave advisory on Wednesday, when the daytime high hit 33.1 degrees Celsius. It was the first heat advisory of the year and the earliest to be issued in any part of the country since the advisory issuance system was put in place in 2008. 

Gwangju plans to install automatic road sprinklers in crowded areas such as Gwangju Airport and Gwangju Songjeong Station. The city is also speeding up installation of anti-heat facilities as it will be hosting a world swimming championship in July.

Additionally, it will improve roofs at senior citizen community centers to enhance air-conditioning efficiency. 

The city of Daegu announced it will operate nighttime heat wave shelters around the city in July and August when temperatures are at their highest. 

Daejeon and Sejong are also installing mist evaporators and road sprinklers and will run inspections on air conditioners at senior community centers.