Participants suffer from extreme heat in unshaded reclaimed land at the Saemangeum Jamboree, but organizers to push ahead despite the criticism, “game of survival”

This Is So Hard! Scouts from around the world are cooling down from the heat in a cooling tunnel covered with vines at the jamboree venue. Buan / Kim Chang-hyo, Senior Reporter

The organizers of the 2023 Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree have come under fire for poor management of the event after more than two hundred people fell ill due to the heat wave and tropical nights--when the temperature remains above 25°C. Some people argue that they need to cancel some of the scheduled events for the safety of the participants until August 12.

The government called for safety measures only after the organizers came under fire for hosting a major international event without proper preparation for an event on reclaimed land with no shade in the heat wave.

According to the Jeonbuk Fire Service on August 3, 139 people suffered from health issues during the opening ceremony alone on Wednesday. Among them 108 suffered from heat-related illnesses, mostly complaining of dizziness and exhaustion. A large number of people suffered from the extreme heat despite that the opening ceremony was held in the evening, after the sun had set. The Saemangeum area in Buan, Jeollabuk-do, where the jamboree is held, also experienced a “tropical night” at the time with temperatures remaining above 27°C.

The fire service feared additional injuries and issued a stage-2 response at 10:45 p.m. and asked the organizing committee to suspend the event, but the committee refused to do so.

In a press briefing Thursday, Choi Chang-haeng, secretary-general of the organizing committee of the Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree explained, “We continued with the event because if we suddenly stopped, it could surprise participants and lead to a bigger accident,” and said, “We heard from the fire authorities that a large number of injuries had occurred. But when we looked into the situation, most were heat-related issues, so we did not hastily order an evacuation.”

Given that more than 400 people suffered from heat-related illnesses on August 1 alone, the first day of the Jamboree, as of August 3, far more than 500 people have fallen in the heat. There are still concerns about more injuries. On social media, a stream of voices expressed concern for safety claiming that the jamboree had become a “game of survival.” After receiving news of the situation, one European country taking part in the jamboree sent a letter to the South Korean government and the organizing committee expressing concern for the safety of its participants.

As concerns about the safety of the jamboree grow, more people are calling for the organizers to reduce the schedule. The People’s Solidarity for Korea Youth Policy released a statement and urged the organizers to “immediately take emergency measures, such as reducing the scheduled events and changing the programs, to protect the health and safety of the youths taking part from all corners of the world.”

The organizing committee insists on pushing ahead with the event as scheduled for now. Secretary General Choi said, “Most of the people who suffered from heat-related illnesses (during the opening ceremony) had mild symptoms and have been discharged from the hospital.” He further said, “We will closely monitor the situation, such as the occurrence of heat-related illnesses, and make sure there are no inconveniences or concerns about safety.”

The government belatedly began stressing safety. Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min requested measures, such as adjusting the program, increasing the number of ambulances available, and introducing mobile hospitals, based on the number of patients with heat-related illnesses and the severity of symptoms.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo instructed Kim Hyun-sook, minister of gender equality and family who is also the co-chair of the organizing committee of the Saemangeum Jamboree, to “remain at the site until the event ends and secure the safety of the 43,000 participants from 158 countries.”

He also instructed the Ministry of National Defense to send the engineer battalion to help increase facilities, such as canopies and showers, at the jamboree site.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety decided to immediately give Jeollabuk-do 3 billion won (special share tax for disaster and safety) to install additional facilities to reduce the heat and to supply items to prevent injuries from the heat wave at the jamboree venue. The decision for the Saemangeum Jamboree was made in the World Scout Conference held in Baku, Azerbaijan in August 2017.