Amid the extreme heatwave across the country, Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jung-sik is urging businesses to take necessary protection measures for workers exposed to high temperatures. 

Lee on Tuesday held a meeting with regional labor officials and raised the labor ministry's heat emergency level to the top notch. 

He said that this year's heatwave around the world is extreme enough to dry desert cacti to death, urging employers to immediately suspend work under severe conditions.

Lee specifically instructed his officials to inspect small-scale construction sites to make sure heat-protection measures are properly observed. 

Authorities said that at least 17 people died from the heatwave over the weekend.

Since the season's first heatwave alerts went into effect in June, South Korea has been gripped with sweltering heat, with highs hovering around 35 degrees Celsius in many parts of the country.