American and British scouts pulled out of the World Scout Jamboree in South Korea Saturday citing scorching temperatures, as organisers vowed the event would continue despite growing criticism of dire campsite conditions.
About 43,000 people have joined the jamboree in North Jeolla province, but an extreme heatwave has seen hundreds of scouts fall ill, forcing Seoul to deploy military doctors, offer air-conditioned buses and vow an all-out effort to salvage the event.
American and British scout groups were withdrawing Saturday, citing concerns over the extreme weather, even as organisers said the jamboree would continue, urging participants to view the event as a “platform for overcoming challenges.”
The government conducted spot inspections and found conditions were no longer as dire as has been claimed, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said, adding that after discussions with participating countries, “we decided to continue the event without stopping.”
With widespread reports of rudimentary bathrooms and substandard sanitation, Kim Hyun-sook, South Korea’s gender minister, told reporters Seoul would “add about 700 personnel today to address the issue of toilet cleaning”.
The World Organization of the Scout Movement had called on South Korea to shorten the event — scheduled to run until August 12 in the coastal town of Buan — pointing to issues caused by extreme weather.
South Korea this week issued its highest hot weather advisory for the first time in four years.
Citing heat concerns, American officials said that about 1,500 US scouts would go to Camp Humphreys, a US Army garrison in Pyeongtaek.
Scouts from the United Kingdom — the largest group at around 4,000 — began arriving back in the capital Seoul Saturday, in what officials said was a bid to “alleviate pressure on the site.”
Singaporean scouts were also planning to leave and Belgian officials were looking for alternative accommodation, the Yonhap news agency reported.
‘Neglected’
Despite Seoul government reassurances, angry parents continued to criticise organisers, with one Korean-American mother, whose 15-year-old daughter lost consciousness during the event, saying it took a “terrifying” 45 minutes for an ambulance to arrive.
“How can South Korea allow children to be neglected like this?” she told South Korean broadcaster SBS.
The Jamboree’s official Instagram page was deluged with critical comments, with one set of parents saying the event had been “a horrible experience” for the scouts.
“Parents are very concerned with their (children’s) health and expect to be reimbursed,” they wrote.
Costs varied by country, but American scouts would have paid around $6,100 to join the event, according to prices listed on the US scout website.
A British scout at the event posted footage from the site on a YouTube channel called “Jamboree Jamie”, sharing video of what looked like mosquitos flying constantly in rudimentary shower booths.
“It’s too hot, it’s too hot. Anyway, this is my third bottle of water,” he says in the video.
“To be honest, I kind of only agree it’s really poorly organised. There’s generally some really good ideas and everything,” but aspects have been poorly executed, he said.
Covid-19 outbreak
The exit of British, American and other scout troops is a significant PR setback for the South Korean government, which on Friday called an emergency cabinet meeting and mobilised aid.
President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office approved 6.9 billion won ($5.3 million) in spending to support the jamboree, and on Saturday Yoon spoke by phone to camp organisers, urging them to offer more tourism programmes to the scouts.
Prime Minister Han said Saturday that organisers would “create and operate a tour program featuring South Korea’s industry, culture, history, and nature”.
The event is facing additional challenges besides the heat, with Jeolla authorities on Saturday reporting about 70 people on the site had come down with Covid-19.
Local media has described the situation as a “national disgrace”, given the time the country had to prepare for the event, which happens once every four years.
