S. Korea to evacuate scout jamboree as typhoon looms
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The World Organization of the Scout Movement was notified that all participants at the worldwide youth event in the southwestern county of Buan would be leaving early.
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A general view shows the campsite of the World Scout Jamboree in Buan, North Jeolla province on August 5, 2023. (AFP)
In the latest blow to the event, all participants at this year's World Scout Jamboree in South Korea will be evacuated from the campsite before the original conclusion date of August 12 due to a typhoon that is predicted to make landfall over the Korean peninsula in the coming days.
The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) stated it had received confirmation from the South Korean government that, due to the projected impact of Typhoon Khanun, all participants at the worldwide youth event in the southwestern county of Buan would be leaving early.
“We urgently call on the government to expedite the plan for departure and provide all necessary resources and support for participants during their stay and until they return to their home countries," the WOSM said.
Kim Sung-ho, the Vice Minister for disaster and safety management, said at a press conference following the withdrawal announcement that the government planned to provide "comfortable and safe accommodation" for the scouts by securing administrative and private educational facilities as close to the Seoul metropolitan area as possible, which was not directly affected by the typhoon.
“The government will be fully prepared for the participants’ accommodation and jamboree programs to continue for the remaining four nights and five days,” he said.
What an incredible force for good the scouts are, especially when times get tough. So proud of all the tens of thousands of @worldscouting @scouts who have battled some tough conditions in Korea at the 25th World Scout Jamboree. The UK, USA, Singapore Scout contingents have… pic.twitter.com/Pc1TTo0758
— Bear Grylls OBE (@BearGrylls) August 6, 2023
Local governments and localities across the country, including Incheon, North Gyeongsang Province, and Gyeongju, have held emergency meetings to provide accommodation and experience programs for the young scouts.
Since it began on Tuesday, the event, which drew 43,000 scouts from 158 countries, has been plagued by problems, including a heatwave that resulted in hundreds of participants being treated for heat-related ailments, as well as reports of poor sanitation, waterlogged conditions caused by heavy rain, rotten food, and swarms of mosquitoes and flies.
Long before the festivities began, critics and local officials expressed worries about bringing such a huge number of young people to the location - a big, treeless region with no shade from the summer heat built on reclaimed seashore property.
That said, the British and American contingents announced on Friday they would be leaving the site.
