Yoon orders aid to problem-plagued World Scout Jamboree

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday directed the government to supply “unlimited” air-conditioned buses and refrigerator trucks to the World Scout Jamboree in response to increasing reports of heat-related patients at the international event.

Participants in the 25th World Scout Jamboree find shade under a vine-covered tunnel in Buan County, North Jeolla, on Friday. [YONHAP]

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday directed the government to supply “unlimited” air-conditioned buses and refrigerator trucks to the World Scout Jamboree in response to increasing reports of heat-related patients at the international event.

Yoon also approved the allocation of 6.9 billion won ($5.3 million) from reserve government funds shortly after to provide necessary assistance for the Jamboree.

In a statement, Yoon’s spokesperson Kim Eun-hye said the president urged “all government departments” to work together to promptly address every issue on the campgrounds at Saemangeum in Busan County, North Jeolla, where the Jamboree is being held, and “immediately improve” the quality and quantity of meals provided to the scouts.

The Korean Red Cross said in a Friday press release that it separately dispatched five air-conditioned buses to the Jamboree.

The 25th World Scout Jamboree

Yoon’s order came amid the 25th World Scout Jamboree making headlines for its poor management and lack of preparation, with hundreds of participants experiencing heat-related symptoms and a multitude of grievances about the facilities and food.

Several scouts and their parents have shared their ordeals with local media, some describing instances of being served spoiled eggs for breakfast, having to camp on muddy grounds and enduring the absence of fans, let alone air conditioners, despite a heat wave.

The World Scout Jamboree is the world’s largest Scout event that takes place every four years. The 25th edition kicked off on Tuesday at Saemangeum, a vast patch of reclaimed land, and is scheduled to take place through Aug. 12.

The organizing committee said 43,000 people from 159 countries are participating in this year’s Jamboree, with most of the participants 14- to 17-year-old scouts. Other participants include scoutmasters and event staff.

Sweltering hot weather

A daunting problem is the weather.

The weather in Korea is currently at its hottest point of the year, with temperatures soaring up to 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas.

The mercury at Saemangeum hit 34 degrees on Friday.

The national weather agency forecast the weather to be similarly hot over the weekend and next week, while also mentioning the possibility of showers, which would make the campgrounds even muddier than they already are.

The Jamboree camping ground [YONHAP]

Increasing ailments

The coronavirus has become another issue at the Jamboree, with the organizing committee saying Friday that at least 28 participants have come down with the virus so far, although none are in severe condition.

On Thursday alone, 1,486 participants were said to have visited the makeshift hospital at the Jamboree, of whom 383 had bug bites, 250 had skin rashes and 138 had heat-related illnesses such as nausea and dizziness.

North Jeolla’s fire service said 25 patients were transferred to a hospital outside the Jamboree on Thursday alone. In total, 63 patients have been transferred since the event kicked off on Tuesday.

With many participants complaining about mosquitoes and other insects at the campsite, the organizing committee said circumstances were a lot better than two years ago.

“Just two years ago, there were a tremendous number of mosquitoes and pests in the camping grounds, but after conducting pest control measures, we’re seeing a lot less,” according to Choi Chang-haeng, secretary general of the organizing committee.

“It’s an environment that’s adequately suitable for camping.”

Exactly how many people have left the event is unknown.

The organizing committee on Friday said only two people have left, but parents who spoke to Korean media said they know of more.

The committee said no country has officially left the Jamboree so far.

‘This is unbelievable’

Chang Kim, who lives in California, told the Korea JoongAng Daily in an email that his 15-year-old daughter, who joined the Jamboree as part of the U.S. scouts, fainted due to the heat.

“According to the adult leader, it took 45 minutes for an ambulance to arrive. This is unbelievable when everyone there knew the temperature was going to be an issue,” Kim said.

Kim said his daughter was better now that she’s been in the air-conditioned makeshift hospital, but was facing a new problem: food.

“I heard that because of the Korean president attending the opening [ceremony], all the Korean staff were busy catering to him and his wife so they couldn’t help the scouts and adult leaders from other countries,” he added.

“Most of the scouts didn’t get a chance to eat that night.”

At the hospital, Kim said his daughter was being offered bread. Only after he and his wife begged doctors to provide her with some food was she offered cup noodles.

The organizing committee was not immediately available for comment.

BY LEE SUNG-EUN [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]