US, UK Scouts being removed from World Scout Jamboree in South Korea amid heatwave

Scouts from the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) attending the World Scout Jamboree in are being removed from the official campsite in the southwestern county of Buan due to the heatwave. According to a report by The Guardian on Saturday (August 5), the event started this week and had drawn 43,000 young Scouts from 158 countries, with the UK having the most at 4,500.

In a statement, the UK Scouts said it would start moving young people and adult volunteers to hotel accommodation over the next two days. "As we are the largest contingent, our hope is that this helps alleviate the pressure on the site overall," the statement added.

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The statement also said that while on the site, the UK volunteer team "worked extremely hard with the organisers, for our youth members and adult volunteers to have enough food and water to sustain them, shelter from the unusually hot weather, and toilets and washing facilities appropriate for an event of this scale.”

The US contingent, meanwhile, will take part in the jamboree program on Saturday before moving to the US Army’s Garrison Humphreys near the event site on Sunday.

Withdrawal a big blow to Seoul

The pullout of US and UK scouts from the event will be a big blow to the South Korean authorities, which have been working all out to limit the fallout and negative coverage generated in recent days, The Guardian report also said.

Responding to their withdrawal, the organising committee said, "We recognise their freedom to make decisions as Scouts and regret that they could not continue their Scouting activities [on site] to the end due to reasons such as a heatwave."

Hundreds of participants already ill due to searing temperatures

Hundreds of participants at the World Scout Jamboree have already fallen ill due to the searing temperatures, prompting complaints from parents over the safety of their children, the news agency Reuters reported.

On Friday, the World Organization of the Scout Movement said they should consider "alternative options to end the event earlier than scheduled", and support participants until they can return to their home countries.

And to calm the situation, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered officials to roll out tour programmes showcasing Korean culture and nature in Seoul and other cities, available for all scouts.

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