Hit by exhaustion: Participants from the UK preparing to leave the 25th World Scout Jamboree in Buan. — Yonhap via Reuters
SEOUL: The World Scout Jamboree in South Korea faced calls to be cancelled after large contingents from the United States and Britain pulled out a week early over extreme heat and weather conditions.
Yesterday’s pullout by the US is a fresh blow to the organisers and the South Korean government, which on Friday promised more water trucks, air-conditioned spaces and medics in an attempt to save the event.
Temperatures have hit 34ºC in Saemangeum, near the city of Buan on South Korea’s west coast, where 39,000 participants, mostly scouts aged 14 to 18, were camping as of Friday.
The US contingent will take part in a jamboree programme on Saturday before moving to US Army Garrison Humphreys near the jamboree site on Sunday, according to an email reviewed by Reuters.
“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,” said the email sent to parents by the US group’s media team.
Britain, the largest grouping at the jamboree, said on Friday they were moving to hotels in Seoul for the rest of their stay, to alleviate pressure on the site.
The World Organisation of the Scout Movement said in a statement on Friday it had asked the Korean Scout Association to consider “alternative options to end the event earlier than scheduled”.
Organisers would meet on Saturday to discuss whether to continue, cancel or scale back the event, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported.
Hit by extreme heat, hundreds of participants at the event fell ill and were treated for heat-related ailments, prompting complaints from parents over the safety of their children. — Reuters
