BUAN, South Korea – American and British scouts withdrew from the World Scout Jamboree in South Korea on Saturday, citing high heat, as organizers swore the event would go on despite rising criticism of poor campground conditions.
Approximately 43,000 people have registered for the jamboree in North Jeolla province, but a severe heat wave has caused hundreds of scouts to become unwell, prompting Seoul to deploy military physicians, provide air-conditioned buses, and pledge an all-out effort to save the event.
On Saturday, American and British scout units withdrew, expressing concerns about the harsh weather, even as organizers stated the jamboree would go on, urging attendees to see the event as a “platform for overcoming challenges.”
According to Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, the government conducted spot inspections and discovered that things were no longer as terrible as had been alleged, and that “we decided to continue the event without stopping.”
With widespread allegations of squalid bathrooms and poor cleanliness, South Korea’s gender minister, Kim Hyun-sook, told reporters that Seoul would “add about 700 personnel today to address the issue of toilet cleaning.”
The World Organization of the Scout Movement had asked South Korea to reduce the event, which was planned to last until August 12 in the coastal town of Buan, citing concerns created by inclement weather.
For the first time in four years, South Korea issued its highest heat advisory this week.
Due to heat worries, US officials claimed that approximately 1,500 US scouts will be sent to Camp Humphreys, a US Army post in Pyeongtaek.
Scouts from the United Kingdom, the largest group at roughly 4,000, began arriving back in Seoul on Saturday, according to officials, in an effort to “alleviate pressure on the site.”
Singaporean scouts were also planning to leave, and Belgian officials were seeking for alternative lodging, according to Yonhap.
The departure of British, American, and foreign scout soldiers is a big public relations defeat for the South Korean government, which summoned an emergency Cabinet meeting and mobilized supplies on Friday.
President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office approved 6.9 billion won ($5.3 million) in funding to assist the jamboree, and Yoon called camp organizers on Saturday, asking them to provide more tourism programs to the scouts.
According to Prime Minister Han, organizers would “create and operate a tour program featuring South Korea’s industry, culture, history, and nature.”
Aside from the heat, the event is encountering other obstacles, with Jeolla authorities announcing on Saturday that approximately 70 persons on the site had contracted COVID-19.
Given the little amount of time the country had to prepare for the event, which occurs every four years, local media called the situation a “national disgrace.”
Source: AFP
