Topline
The World Scout Jamboree will relocate its participants due to an incoming typhoon, organizers announced Monday—but the event will still continue—the latest in a string of problems for the global scouts gathering as it’s already been plagued by issues amid extreme heat and allegedly poor conditions.
The campsite of the World Scout Jamboree in Buan, North Jeolla province in South Korea on August 5.
Key Facts
The World Scout Jamboree, which brought together 43,000 scouts from more than 150 countries, will relocate all of its attendees from its campsite in South Korea to other venues away from the path of the typhoon, organizers confirmed Monday, saying they had received confirmation about the closing from the South Korean government.
Organizers still intend to continue the event despite the relocation, they said at a media briefing, which is scheduled to run through August 12.
The jamboree had already come under scrutiny due to poor conditions from extreme heat in the region, with organizers reporting more than 700 people had been treated for heat-related illnesses as of Thursday alone, prompting the South Korean government to approve $5.3 million in emergency funding for the event and send air-conditioned buses and refrigerated trucks to the campsite.
Other allegedly poor conditions at the campsite included a lack of shade, poor sanitation, lack of food options for people with dietary restrictions and insufficient medical services, U.K. Scouts Chief Executive Matt Hyde told BBC News.
The Boy Scouts of America had already pulled its 1,100 participants out of the event and moved them Sunday to Camp Humphreys, the U.S. military base in South Korea, citing the “extreme heat and humidity caused challenging conditions for attendees.”
The U.K. delegation, which was the largest at the jamboree with 4,500 attendees, also relocated its scouts to hotels, as did the Singapore contingent.
Crucial Quote
“I can say that it is the location that is only changing because of the natural disaster, but [the jamboree] is still continuing,” Kim Hyun-sook, South Korea’s gender equality and family minister, said at a media briefing Monday, as quoted by Reuters.
What To Watch For
Typhoon Khanun is expected to make landfall in southern South Korea, where the jamboree’s campsite is located, on Thursday, bringing wind and rain to most parts of the country. The typhoon has already caused widespread power outages and damage in Japan, killing multiple people when it made landfall in the region last week.
Key Background
This year’s World Scout Jamboree marked the first time the annual event had been held since the Covid-19 pandemic, bringing together thousands of scouts ages 14 through 17 from around the world. South Korea’s heat wave has caused the country to raise its warning for hot weather to its highest level for the first time since 2019, with temperatures reaching up to approximately 100 degrees Fahrenheit in some parts of the country in recent days with high humidity. The country’s National Fire Agency reported 22 people were estimated to have been killed due to the heat as of Tuesday. The heatwave is part of a broader trend of extreme heat that’s been seen around the world this summer, linked to climate change, bringing record-breaking temperatures and wildfires to areas across the U.S. and southern Europe.
Further Reading
World Scout Jamboree In Disarray As Hundreds Of Teens Fall Ill Amid Intense South Korean Heatwave (Forbes)
All scouts leaving South Korea camp as typhoon looms (BBC News)
Thousands of teens to evacuate from World Scout Jamboree amid heat wave (Washington Post)
South Korea spends millions to rescue World Scout Jamboree amid scorching heatwave (The Guardian)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2023/08/07/world-scout-jamboree-relocates-teens-due-to-typhoon-after-extreme-heat-forces-us-uk-to-leave/