The World Scout Jamboree in South Korea faced calls for cancellation on Saturday as significant contingents from the United States and Britain decided to leave a week ahead of schedule due to extreme heat and weather conditions.
The withdrawal of the US and Singapore on Saturday came as a fresh blow to the event organizers and the South Korean government, which had promised additional measures such as more water trucks, air-conditioned spaces, and medical support on Friday to salvage the event.
Temperatures reached 34 degrees Celsius (93 Fahrenheit) in Saemangeum, near the city of Buan on South Korea’s west coast, where 39,000 participants, primarily scouts aged 14 to 18, were camping as of Friday.
One parent, Kristin Sayers from Virginia, expressed her disappointment as her 17-year-old son Corey’s dream of participating in the jamboree, which cost $6,500, turned into a “nightmare.”
“He’s very aware of how much money that is and the sacrifices we made as a family to send him. We could’ve done so much with that money,” she said.
In an effort to address the situation, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol directed officials to introduce tour programs in Seoul and other cities to showcase Korean culture and nature, available to all scouts.
While some countries, including the Philippines and Argentina, decided to stay at the campsite despite the challenges of extreme weather, the US contingent planned to participate in a jamboree program on Saturday before moving to US Army Garrison Humphreys near the jamboree site on Sunday, as per an email reviewed by Reuters.
The email from the US group’s media team to parents stated, “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.”
The largest grouping at the jamboree, Britain, announced on Friday that they would be relocating to hotels in Seoul for the remainder of their stay to alleviate the pressure on the current site.
The World Organization of the Scout Movement issued a statement on Friday, requesting the Korean Scout Association to consider “alternative options to end the event earlier than scheduled and support the participants until they depart for their home countries.”
Organizers are scheduled to convene on Saturday to discuss the possibility of continuing, canceling, or scaling back the event, as reported by South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.
The extreme heat led to hundreds of participants falling ill and receiving treatment for heat-related ailments, leading to parental concerns about their children’s safety.
As of Friday, officials confirmed that more than 150 countries were participating in the gathering.
The jamboree is scheduled to run until August 12.
During a press conference, Marina Rustan, president of the Argentina Scout Association, mentioned observing some improvements around the site and shared that they had received assurances from the government’s leadership that things would improve.