Sad scouts reluctantly leave South Korean jamboree that has been marred by illness, poor facilities and searing heat as main evacuation finally goes ahead
- Tens of thousands of scouts are today being busses away from the campsite
- A deadly typhoon is expected to hit the region tomorrow that has in recent day experienced extreme temperatures, causing hundreds of scouts to fall ill
Sad scouts have been filmed reluctantly leaving the South Korean jamboree ahead of a looming typhoon today, as the main evacuation finally got underway.
Tens of thousands of scouts from across the globe were being bussed from their problem-plagued campsite in the latest blow to the jamboree, which has already seen hundreds of scouts fall ill during a sweltering heatwave.
It came after British and American scout contingents had already left the site to hotels in Seoul, and as complaints over site conditions mounted.
But despite the disastrous organisation, some scouts at the campsite were sad to leave, volunteers said. While the conditions had been tough to begin with, many of the attendees had adapted, and wanted to make the most of it.
More than 100 police cars and four helicopters were deployed to escort 1,000 buses carrying the scouts out of the camp site in the southwest, a region that deadly Typhoon Khanun is expected to hit as early as Wednesday.
President Yoon Suk Yeol cut short his annual holiday to help manage the fallout from the jamboree, which has been a PR disaster for his administration.
Tens of thousands of scouts from across the globe were being bussed from their problem-plagued campsite today (pictured) in the latest blow to the jamboree, which has already seen hundreds of scouts fall ill during a sweltering heatwave
Scouts are seen packing up as they leave the World Scout Jamboree campsite, August 8
Scouts board a bus to leave the ongoing World Scout Jamboree campsite in Saemangeum, South Korea, evacuating the site before a typhoon hits the region. It is expected on Wednesday
There were about 36,000 participants at the campsite, near Buan city, and more than two-thirds have already left, Interior Minister Lee Sang-min told reporters.
Seoul and its surrounding province of Gyeonggi would host almost half the scouts, with the rest fanning out to six other areas, Lee said.
Police cars and helicopters will escort the convoys to safety, he added.
South Korean organisers are keen to minimise any further problems at the jamboree, the first global gathering of scouts since the pandemic.
Since the event began last week, hundreds of participants have fallen ill due to a heatwave, triggering criticism from the public and parents about a lack of preparation.
The British scout contingent, the event’s biggest, also left early, citing poor sanitation and food quality, among other concerns. The US scout group followed.
‘This is the first time in more than 100 years of World Scout Jamborees that we have had to face such compounded challenges,’ Ahmad Alhendawi, Secretary General of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, said in a statement.
He said the massive event, which brought together about 43,000 scouts to a campsite in South Korea’s North Jeolla province, had been ‘very unlucky with the unprecedented heatwave and now the typhoon’.
There were about 36,000 participants at the campsite (pictured), near Buan city, and more than two-thirds have already left, South Korea’s Interior Minister Lee Sang-min told reporters
Scouts pack up a tent as they prepare to leave the campsite of the World Scout Jamboree in Buan, North Jeolla province on August 8
Attendees of the World Scout Jamboree arrive from a scout camping site at a Hyundai Motor Group facility in Yongin, South Korea, August 8
At the sprawling campsite, scouts dismantled tents and folded up ground sheets, before carrying their backpacks to board nearby buses.
At the site, German volunteer Axel Scholl, 62, told AFP news agency he was ‘at his limits’ working to safely evacuate all the scouts in the heat.
‘The worst thing about all of this is… It was for the kids. I’m 62 years old but this was all for the kids. Now they all go home disappointed. It should have been such a nice experience,’ he told AFP, wiping away tears.
He said Poland – which will host the next jamboree in 2027 – will have learned a lot about what can go wrong from this year’s experience.
‘I feel very, very sorry for the Korean nation and Korean people because I think they would have loved to present their country, their culture, their community in a more positive way,’ he added.
Korean media have called the jamboree ‘a national disgrace,’ saying that authorities had six years to prepare but even so the site had poor drainage, rudimentary showers and toilets, and participants were afflicted by gruesome bug bites.
Following a deluge of online complaints from parents, government organisers admitted there had been ‘shortcomings’ in the area of hygiene and the scout chief acknowledged in a post on LinkedIn that the event had a ‘bumpy start with… services and facilities’.
But scouts at the campsite said they were sad to leave.
‘It was really hot, but we had a great time. It took some while to get used to the circumstances but the youth, they had a really great time,’ Nicola Raunig, 27, Austria scout unit leader, told AFP.
‘I’m sad it will end now,’ she said, adding that she had hoped participants could have enjoyed ‘the whole experience’.
‘But we will make the best out of it,’ Raunig said.
Police stand in front of buses used to transport participants leaving the campsite of the 25th World Scout Jamboree in Buan, South Korea, August 8
Police stand near a line of coaches during preparations for scouts to leave the World Scout Jamboree in Buan, North Jeolla province on August 8
A line of coaches is seen on a road outside a campsite during preparations for scouts to leave the World Scout Jamboree in Buan, North Jeolla province on August 8
Interior Minister Lee said said the government would ensure participants could be ‘safe and comfortable’ at their new lodgings, vowing that the jamboree programme would continue.
He said he hoped the scouts could ‘finish their schedules with a happy heart’, with the government later announcing a K-pop concert in Seoul, as one lawmaker even called for a special reunion of megastars BTS to salvage the jamboree.
Typhoon Khanun, which has already wreaked havoc in southern Japan, is moving toward South Korea bringing heavy rain and winds of up to 78 mph (125 kph) as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the weather agency.
Khanun is expected to hit southern regions of South Korea on Wednesday afternoon before tracking up the peninsula, prompting the government to raise its typhoon alert to the highest level and close some roads, mountain trails and beaches.
President Yoon Suk Yeol called for thorough preparations for the typhoon, warning of further damage especially in areas struck by last month’s torrential rain. He also ordered the scouts to be evacuated without a glitch.
‘We will make every effort to ensure their safety until the end of the event, so that young people from all over the world can return home with good memories,’ Yoon told an emergency meeting held for the typhoon.
Participants prepare to leave the World Scout Jamboree campsite, August 8
Scouts prepare to leave the World Scout Jamboree in Buan, North Jeolla province on August 8,
Poland is due to host the next World Scout Jamboree in 2027, but President Andrzej Duda cancelled plans to attend this year’s closing ceremony due to the typhoon, an official at the Polish Embassy in Seoul said.
A closing ceremony, to be followed by a K-pop concert, will now be held on Saturday at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, the culture ministry said.
South Korea has successfully hosted several major events including the summer and winter Olympic Games, as well as jointly hosting the soccer World Cup with Japan.
The port city of Busan is currently bidding to host the Expo in 2030.
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