BUAN, South Korea - South Korea decided on Saturday to press on with hosting the World Scout Jamboree, despite warnings about the dangers posed by the extreme heat that the country is enduring, and the United States and British contingents pulling out a week early.
Tens of thousands of scouts, ranging in age from 14 to 18, have flocked to Saemangeum, near the town of Buan on South Korea’s west coast, where temperatures have hit 33 deg C.
Hundreds of participants have already fallen ill due to the searing temperatures, prompting complaints from parents over the safety of their children.
The government has promised more water trucks, air-conditioned spaces and medics in an attempt to save the event, which opened on Aug 1 and is set to run till Aug 12.
But the organisers suffered a fresh blow on Saturday when the United States and Singapore decided to follow the British scouts’ lead by moving elsewhere.
As of Saturday, there were 42,593 participants from over 150 countries camping at the site in Saemangeum.
South Korea Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said at a news briefing that his government had consulted with other countries and decided, along with the Korea Scout Association, to continue the jamboree.
A day earlier, the World Organisation of the Scout Movement said the organisers should consider “alternative options to end the event earlier than scheduled” and support participants until they can return to their home countries.
The mother of a participant, Ms Kristin Sayers from the US state of Virginia, said her 17-year-old son Corey’s dream to take part in the jamboree, at a cost of US$6,500 (S$8,700), had turned into a “nightmare”.
“He’s very aware of how much money that is and the sacrifices we made as a family to send him. We could have done so much with that money,” she told Reuters by video link.
In an effort to calm the situation, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol ordered officials to roll out tour programmes showcasing Korean culture and nature in Seoul and other cities, available for all scouts.
Some countries, including the Philippines and Argentina, said they would remain at the campsite despite challenges from extreme weather.
“We are seeing around the site some improvements,” said Ms Marina Rustan, president of the Argentina Scout Association. “We had the word of the leadership of the government that things will be improved.”
The US contingent would take part in a jamboree programme on Saturday before moving to US Army Garrison Humphreys near the jamboree site on Sunday, according to an e-mail.
“The US contingent to the World Scout Jamboree has made the difficult decision that we will be departing the 25th World Scout Jamboree site early because of ongoing extreme weather and resulting conditions at the jamboree site,” said the e-mail sent to parents by the US group’s media team.
Britain, the largest grouping at the jamboree, said on Friday that it was moving to hotels in Seoul for the rest of their stay, to alleviate pressure on the site.
British scouts were seen leaving the campsite with their bags in Buan on Saturday morning.
REUTERS
