Nations at World Scout Jamboree to soon determine event's fate

Representatives from each country participating in the troubled 25th World Scout Jamboree will likely decide on Saturday whether to halt, curtail or proceed with the event.

A British scout who took part in the 25th World Scout Jamboree at Saemangeum in Buan County, North Jeolla, is seen disassembling the country’s promotional booth within the event site on Saturday, following the UK Scout’s announcement of their withdrawl from the Jamboree. [YONHAP]

Representatives from each country participating in the troubled 25th World Scout Jamboree will likely decide in a Saturday meeting whether to halt, curtail or proceed with the event after the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) issued a statement calling for "alternative options."

The meeting, which began at 9 a.m., came hours after the WOSM said it asked the Korean Scouting Organization, which is hosting the Jamboree, to "consider alternative options to end the event earlier than scheduled and support the participants until they depart for their home countries."

A final decision will reportedly be announced on Saturday afternoon.

The international event, which kicked off on Tuesday with some 43,000 participants from 159 countries in attendance, mostly teens, coincided with the worst heat wave the country has ever seen in years. Daily temperatures have exceeded 33 degrees Celsius (91.4 degrees Fahrenheit) and even 38 degrees in some areas.

In the five days that the Jamboree was held, hundreds have experienced heat-related symptoms such as dizziness and nausea. Some scouts fainted.

Across the country, about 20 people have died from heat-related illnesses.

British and U.S. scouts pull out

So far, both the British and U.S. scouts have decided to withdraw from the campsite due to the extreme heat.

The US Contingent has decided to move to U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, on Sunday and stay there until Aug. 11 after taking part in Jamboree programs on Saturday.

“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 and resulting conditions at the jamboree site,” said an email sent to parents by the US Contingent media team, according to Reuters.

A parent whose child is part of the American team confirmed to the Korea JoongAng Daily that the group would be departing from the campsite on Sunday.

Earlier, Scouts UK said in a statement released on its official website that the British scouts would be relocated to Seoul hotels within the next two days “to alleviate pressure on the site.” The British Scout organization said they would collaborate with Korean authorities “on a program of activities so our young people still get the most from their time in Korea.”

The British Scout delegation is scheduled to depart Korea on Aug. 13, a day after the 25th World Scout Jamboree was planned to end.

Mounting issues

The World Scout Jamboree is known as the largest Scout event held in different host countries every four years.

It was Korea’s second time hosting the Jamboree, held in Saemangeum, a vast reclaimed area in the country’s southwest coast of Buan County, North Jeolla.

Ominous signs were spotted from the start of the Jamboree, as numerous scouts, mostly from the ages of 14 to 17, fell ill due to the heat.

Aside from the heat, many scouts and their parents shared their ordeals with media, describing instances of being served spoiled eggs for breakfast, having to camp on muddy grounds teeming with mosquitoes and other insects, and unsanitary conditions at restrooms and shower booths.

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