Explained: How extreme weather ruined World Scout Jamboree in South Korea 

The 25th World Scout Jamboree event is being held in South Korea’s Buan County from August 1 to 12, butfor the first time ever, extreme weather conditions have ruined the joy for its more than 40,000 participants.

Of them, more than 37,000 are scouts, mostly teenagers, who arrived earlier in South Korea from 156 countries around the globe.

In the initial days, extreme heatwaves piled misery on the event’s organisers as well as the participants. The soaring temperatures even prompted the parents of the participants to raise multiple complaints with the organisers.

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It also led to the early withdrawal of American and some European contingents, including the British, from the event.

And now, South Korea’s weather agency has reported that the campsite could fall in the way of the raging typhoon ‘Khanun.’ The typhoon is expected to hit South Korea Thursday morning (August 10). Some areas in the south, including Buan, could be affected as early as Wednesday evening.

The storm is approaching South Korea after wreaking havoc on Japan’s Okinawa, killing at least one and injuring 70 others, along with knocking out power of hundreds of homes and disrupting flights and railways.

Evacuation ordered from the campsite

South Korean authorities were rushing more than 1,000 buses to the campsite in Buan to evacuate the scouts to safer locations across the country, including the capital Seoul.

South Korea’s Interior Minister Lee Sang-min on Tuesday (August 8) said that more than 128 sites have been earmarked for accommodating the visiting scouts.

“The local governments are checking the cleanliness of the accommodations and toilets and are preparing medical measures so that participants can have a safe and comfortable stay as soon as they arrive,” Lee said.

Evacuation started at 9 am local time, with a bus carrying Taiwan contingents from the campsite. Police said one helicopter and more than 250 police cars will escort the participants to safety.

Earlier, hundreds of American scouts were rushed to Camp Humphreys, a major US military base 70km (45 miles) south of Seoul, after a prolonged week of extreme heatwaves.

It was also reported in European media that 1,500 scouts from Sweden, Norway and Denmark were also to be moved to the US base.

"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.

South Korean authorities apologise for the disruption

The governor of North Jeolla province, where the event is taking place, has expressed apologies to the participants for causing concerns. He mentioned that efforts have been made to enhance sanitary conditions, including improvements to toilet facilities. Additionally, numerous water trucks and air conditioners have been deployed to ensure participants remain comfortable.

Kim Gi-hyeon, the leader of South Korea's ruling People Power Party, also issued a public apology on Monday. He acknowledged the event's less-than-smooth execution and proposed an investigation to assess the appropriate use of taxpayers' funds in the event's preparations.

A meeting of organisers is scheduled for Saturday to deliberate on whether to proceed, cancel, or reduce the scale of the event, as reported by South Korea's Yonhap news agency.

However, Minister Lee Sang-min said the government was looking for alternative locations to hold the events.

Gender equality minister Kim Hyun-sook, whose department is running the event, also assured that the event was still continuing. “I can say that it is the location that is only changing because of the natural disaster, but it is still continuing," Kim said.

She also added that officials are trying to arrange new cultural events and activities for the scouts before they leave, including a possible K-pop concert at a Seoul soccer stadium on Friday to go with the closing ceremony.

Extreme weather continues to batter South Korea

Asia continues to grapple with severe weather conditions, as South Korea and Japan witness casualties due to the scorching heat. Both nations have issued alerts in response.

On August 1, the South Korean government escalated its heat alert to the highest level, a step not taken since 2019. This week, certain regions in South Korea experienced temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius), intensified by elevated humidity levels.

Watch:Japan, South Korea to link radars via US systems

The toll from heat-related incidents in South Korea has reached at least 23 since late May, as estimated by the country's fire authorities. Among these cases, two fatalities occurred on August 1, involving elderly individuals engaged in outdoor agricultural activities.

This summer's death count surpasses that of the corresponding period in the previous year, marking more than a threefold increase, as reported by South Korea's Yonhap News Agency.

President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea has called for a comprehensive strategy to prevent heat-related ailments, especially among the elderly and outdoor workers.

(With inputs from agencies)

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