SEOUL—American and British scouts pulled out of the World Scout Jamboree in South Korea Saturday citing scorching temperatures, as organisers weighed whether to cut short an event also reportedly plagued by dire campsite conditions.
About 43,000 people have joined the jamboree in North Jeolla province, but an extreme heatwave has seen hundreds of scouts fall ill, forcing Seoul to deploy military doctors and vow an all-out effort to salvage the event.
But despite the government’s promises of air-conditioned buses and freezer trucks, the US contingent said Saturday they would withdraw, following a British decision to exit Friday, citing concerns over the extreme weather.
The American scouts will go to Camp Humphreys, a US Army garrison in Pyeongtaek, according to US officials.
The World Organization of the Scout Movement has called on South Korea to shorten the event — scheduled to run until August 12 in the coastal town of Buan — pointing to issues caused by one of the country’s hottest summers in years.
The statement added that the South Korean government planned to stick to the schedule, “assuring that they will do everything possible to address the issues caused by the heat wave”.
Singaporean scouts also decided to leave the site earlier than planned, and Belgian authorities were looking for accommodation elsewhere for their contingent, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.
Representatives from all participating countries are meeting Saturday to decide how to proceed, officials told AFP.
Reports in local media have suggested the event’s issues go beyond the heat, citing poor campsite conditions, with sanitation “less than ideal” including rudimentary showers and toilets, and saying scouts had been plagued by insect bites.
A Korean-American parent, whose 15-year-old daughter lost consciousness while participating in the event, claimed an ambulance was called but it did not arrive at the site until 45 minutes later.
“We were told she lost consciousness and (her eyes rolled back), revealing the whites,” she told South Korean broadcaster SBS.
“Those 45 minutes were terrifying for us. We can’t even imagine what might have happened during that time. How can South Korea allow children to be neglected like this?”
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Scouts from the United Kingdom — the largest group at around 4,000 — said they were leaving late on Friday.
“UK Scouts are transferring our young people and adult volunteers from the World Scout Jamboree site to Seoul over the next two days,” said a statement.
South Korea this week issued its highest hot weather advisory for the first time in four years.
On Friday, temperatures across the country ranged from 35 to 38 degrees Celsius (95 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit).
The exit of British, American and other scout troops is a significant PR setback for the South Korean government, which on Friday called an emergency cabinet meeting and mobilised aid.
President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office approved 6.9 billion won ($5.3 million) in spending to support the jamboree, and on Saturday Yoon spoke by phone to camp organisers, urging them to add more tourism programs for the scouts.
The event is also facing additional challenges besides the heat. Jeolla authorities on Saturday said about 70 people on the site have come down with Covid-19.
Local media outlets have described the situation as a “national disgrace”, given the time the country had to prepare for the event.
Critics had earlier warned of the risks of gathering such a large number of youth in a treeless region with little shelter from the summer heat.
Some people online have compared the situation to the deadly survival game featured in South Korea’s mega-hit Netflix series “Squid Game”.
“Greetings to Scouts from all around the globe, as you arrive at the K-Survival Game,” one quipped on Twitter, which is being rebranded as X, above an image of pink Squid Game-style costumes.