Cold-snap headlines tend to conjure up mountains and ski slopes. But when the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) counted the people brought to emergency rooms with cold-related illness last winter (December 2025 to February 2026), the commonest place to collapse was the roadside, and one in six was indoors at home. The peak hours were 6 to 9 in the morning, and 5 of the 14 who died had dementia or another cognitive impairment.
1. Cases rose 1.09 times; deaths 1.75 times. Last winter there were 364 cases (14 presumed deaths), a little up on the previous winter’s 334 and 8 — but deaths nearly doubled.
2. Four in five were hypothermia. 79.7% of cases were hypothermia, and all 14 presumed deaths were.
3. Age is what makes it deadly. People aged 80 and over were 32.4% of cases but 57.1% of deaths.
Last winter’s numbers — the KDCA surveillance system
Every year from 1 December to the end of February the KDCA runs an emergency-room surveillance system for cold-related illness. Last winter (1 December 2025 to 28 February 2026) 512 emergency departments took part, reporting cases and presumed deaths caused by cold through local health centres and provinces. The results were published on 10 March 2026.
| Item | 2025–26 winter | Previous winter (2024–25) |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 364 | 334 → 1.09× |
| Presumed deaths | 14 | 8 → 1.75× |
| Cold-wave days | 5.2 | 4.3 (up 0.9 days) |
| Mean daily minimum | -4.1°C | -4.4°C (up 0.3°C) |
KDCA release, 10 March 2026. Cold-wave days and temperatures are the Korea Meteorological Administration figures quoted in the release.
The last two rows are the ones to notice. The mean minimum temperature actually rose 0.3°C, yet cold-wave days increased and deaths were 1.75 times higher. A winter can be milder “on average” and still have a few more sudden bitter days — and those are what bring people down. That reading is ours; the release does not state a cause.
Five winters side by side
| Winter | Cases (deaths) | Participating ERs |
|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | 300 (9) | 492 |
| 2022–23 | 447 (12) | 507 |
| 2023–24 | 400 (12) | 507 |
| 2024–25 | 334 (8) | 514 |
| 2025–26 | 364 (14) | 512 |
| Five-year total | 1,845 (55) | — |
From the release’s annex on the last five years. The five-year total is our sum.
The winter with the most cases was 2022–23 (447), but the deadliest was last winter (14). Cases and deaths do not move together; what separates them is age and cognitive impairment, below.
Who collapsed — over-80s account for more than half the deaths
| Group | Of 364 cases | Of 14 presumed deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Hypothermia | 79.7% (290) | 100% (14) |
| 65 and over | 57.4% (209) | 78.6% (11) |
| 80 and over | 32.4% (118) | 57.1% (8) |
| Men | 64.6% (235) | — |
| With dementia or cognitive impairment | — | 35.7% (5) |
People over 80 were one case in three but more than half the deaths, and 5 of the 14 who died had dementia or similar impairment. The KDCA commissioner said “the attention and effort of carers is very important so that older people are not exposed to cold waves”. For people who struggle to notice cold or to act on it, it cannot be left to them alone.
If you live apart from a parent with dementia, a phone call on the morning of a cold-wave warning is the cheapest prevention there is. Winter falls in older adults are covered in fall prevention, and multiple medicines in medication in later life.
Where and when — roadsides, near home, and at home
| Place | All 364 | Aged 65+ (209) |
|---|---|---|
| Roadside | 23.6% (86) | 24.4% (51) |
| Around the home | 19.8% (72) | 27.3% (57) |
| At home | 17.0% (62) | 22.0% (46) |
| All outdoors | 75.0% (273) | — |
| All indoors | 25.0% (91) | — |
Among those 65 and over the order changes — around the home (27.3%) overtakes the roadside, and at home (22.0%) passes one in five. Together the three make 73.7% (our arithmetic). Not a distant mountain but near home and inside it; the KDCA itself stresses prevention “in older people’s daily lives”. If a home is cold because heating is being rationed, check first whether winter energy support applies — see the energy voucher calculator and the city gas bill calculator.
By time of day, 6–9 a.m. (20.9%) came first and 9 a.m.–noon (15.7%) second — when the overnight cold is still in the air. An early walk, the morning commute, taking out the rubbish: the “just for a minute” trip in thin clothes falls into this slot.
By region Gyeonggi had the most cases (71, 19.5%), but per 100,000 people the order was Gangwon (2.1) > North Gyeongsang (1.7) > North Chungcheong (1.5).
How hypothermia sets in — 35°C and 0.5°C
The KDCA health portal describes hypothermia as body temperature falling below 35°C after long exposure to cold, and calls it “a winter emergency that needs a hospital straight away”. A drop of just 0.5°C starts shivering; further falls cloud consciousness, slur speech and impair judgement. So the person affected is unlikely to notice — someone nearby has to.
The same page names two behaviours that make it worse:
- Drinking alcohol in the cold — alcohol and caffeinated drinks can speed heat loss; warm water or sweet drinks help keep warm.
- Hard exercise that makes you sweat in the cold — evaporating sweat carries heat away. For winter hiking it advises quick-drying layers instead of cotton or jeans, plus a change of clothes.
At-risk groups listed include older people without adequate food, clothing or heating, infants and children, people with heart or cerebrovascular disease or high blood pressure, people sleeping rough, anyone outdoors for long periods such as hikers, and people who have taken alcohol or drugs.
If you find someone collapsed — in order
The portal’s prevention and response advice, in order (summarised):
| Step | Action | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Call 119; move to warmth or hospital | Hypothermia is an emergency needing a hospital |
| 2 | Remove wet clothes, change into dry ones | Wet clothing keeps drawing heat away |
| 3 | Hat and scarf; cover the armpits | Head, neck and armpits lose heat fastest |
| 4 | Wrap the core — chest, head, neck, back — with towels | Protecting core temperature comes first |
If the person is unresponsive and not breathing, move to the CPR sequence. For deciding whether to go to the emergency room, see ER or clinic.
Checklist for a cold-wave warning day
- ☐ Phone relatives over 80 or with cognitive impairment in the morning
- ☐ Going out between 6 a.m. and noon? Hat and scarf too — “just a minute” is the riskiest slot
- ☐ After drinking, avoid walking home alone late at night or at dawn
- ☐ If the home is cold, check heating-cost support first (energy voucher, gas discounts)
- ☐ Winter exercise: quick-drying layers plus spare clothes
- ☐ See someone shivering or slurring on the street? Call 119
Questions that remain
What counts as cold-related illness?
The KDCA defines it as illness directly caused by cold, chiefly hypothermia (systemic) and frostbite and chilblains (local). Most of last winter’s cases (79.7%) were hypothermia.
Can hypothermia happen indoors?
Yes. 17.0% (62) of last winter’s cases occurred at home, and 22.0% among those 65 and over. Indoors overall was 25.0%.
Average temperatures rose — why did deaths rise?
The release does not analyse causes. It does show 0.9 more cold-wave days, and deaths were concentrated in older people with cognitive impairment. What the data supports is looking at the number of bitter days and who was exposed, not the average.
Doesn’t a drink warm you up?
The KDCA portal lists drinking in the cold first among behaviours that worsen hypothermia and advises avoiding alcohol and caffeinated drinks.
Where can I see the daily figures?
During the surveillance period (1 December to end of February) the KDCA website publishes daily reports under Policy information > Health hazard prevention > Climate change > Cold-related illness. This winter’s surveillance should start on 1 December 2026, as the scheme runs from that date each year.
Sources
- KDCA press release — “364 cold-related illness cases in winter 2025–26, 1.09 times the year before; deaths 1.75 times” (10 March 2026, attached PDF on the government briefing site). Source for cases and deaths, the year-on-year comparison, cold-wave days and temperatures, illness type, sex, age and the over-80s, the 5 deaths with cognitive impairment, places overall and for 65+, times of day, regions and rates per 100,000, and the five-year results and scheme overview.
- KDCA National Health Information Portal — “Preventing hypothermia in winter” (updated 2 June 2026). Source for the 35°C definition, shivering at a 0.5°C drop, aggravating behaviours, at-risk groups, and the warming, wet-clothes and 119 steps. The page carries a no-modification licence, so it is quoted briefly and otherwise summarised.
- Our arithmetic. The five-year total of 1,845 cases (55 deaths) and the 73.7% for home, near home and roadside among 65+ are our sums of the release’s figures.
Where to check further
- The 2025–26 annual report — the KDCA says it will publish an annual report on cold-related illness; items not in the release, such as alcohol involvement, should appear there.
- Treating frostbite and chilblains — this article focuses on hypothermia; see the portal’s page on preventing frostbite and chilblains.
Written 29 September 2026. Figures are as published by the KDCA; totals and interpretation are marked as ours. This is general health information, not a diagnosis or treatment. If you find someone collapsed, call 119 first.
