The scout motto is “Be prepared.” But the 25th World Scout Jamboree, taking place as South Korea endures unusually hot weather, has prompted criticism of the event’s organizers, including scouting organization officials and the national government, for their seeming failure to follow that dictum.
Hundreds of young attendees have been treated for heat exhaustion, and on Friday the scouting associations from Britain, Singapore and the United States said their scouts would be leaving the campsite because of safety concerns.
Also Friday, the World Organization of the Scout Movement said that it had recommended to the South Korean government and the Korea Scout Association, which are leading the event together with the world scouting body, that the jamboree end earlier than the currently scheduled Aug. 12.
Hours before the contingents announced plans to leave, the South Korean government had said it would spend millions of dollars improving conditions at the jamboree site by providing additional water trucks, portable toilets, air-conditioned spaces and medics, as well as step up cleaning and increase the amount of food provided to the scouts.
The jamboree, which brings scouts together in a different host nation every four years, drew more than 43,000 people from 158 countries to Saemangeum, on the western coast of South Korea. The site is a large flat area, previously wetland that was reclaimed in a contentious project about 15 years ago. Activities have taken place in hundreds of tents set up on plastic platforms throughout the field.
It has coincided with one of the worst heat waves that South Korea has recorded in years, with temperatures reaching 100 degrees and staying over 77 at night. Bear Grylls, a British adventurer and the public face of that country’s scouting association, shared a video on social media showing him sweating at the jamboree on Wednesday. “It’s hot,” he said. “Look out for each other, please.”
At least 138 people were hospitalized with heat exhaustion between last Saturday, when many of the scouts began arriving at the campsite, and Friday. Scouts said that they had trouble finding shade. Parents worldwide expressed worries about their children at the camp.
Justin Cauthen of Colorado, whose 14-year-old son is at the jamboree, said that his son was vomiting from severe dehydration on Friday night but was unable to receive treatment because the clinic was closed. He said that the event’s organizers were not meeting the scouts’ basic needs, such as acceptable food and space to cool down.
“Me and my wife just want him home safely at this point,” he said in an interview, adding, “I would like the Korean government to apologize to the world.”
But some people reported enjoying the experience despite the heat. “The weather’s a challenge, but it’s really nice to see how the scouts are helping each other out,” said Emily Jones, a volunteer from Britain in her 20s.
Junbert Pabon, 23, a volunteer from the Philippines, had a similar sentiment. “It’s a challenge, but I’m getting the hang of it.”
Laura Pellegrini, who lives in New York City and sent two teenage sons to the jamboree, said in an interview that her sons’ group, with the Boy Scouts of America, had stayed on a U.S. Army base during their first night on Tuesday because of water and electrical issues at the camp, before returning to the jamboree on Wednesday.
“Just disappointing that South Korea was not better prepared,” she said.
The U.S. contingent, which consists of about 1,500 people, said that it would have a regular day at the jamboree on Saturday before moving to Camp Humphreys on Sunday and remaining there until Aug. 11.
Camp Humphreys is a U.S. military base in the city of Pyeongtaek, about 130 miles north of the jamboree site.
“While we regret the need for the early departure, the move ensures the safety of our scouts and alleviates pressure on the jamboree site services and infrastructure,” the organization said in a statement.
The Singapore group was also leaving the campsite, Jacob Murray, the director of world events at the World Organization of the Scout Movement, said on Saturday.
The British contingent, numbering about 4,000, will continue jamboree activities in hotels in Seoul for the rest of its stay before it returns home on Aug. 13, the organization said, adding, “We know that may be a disappointment for some.”
It is also a disappointment to the South Korean government, which has wanted to host the event since 2015. Officials traveled around the world to ask scout associations in Europe, Africa and the Americas for their votes toward their bid.
After winning the bid in 2017 to host the event, it appointed top officials, including the prime minister and the gender equality minister, to supervise the event’s planning. North Jeolla Province was also given nearly $80 million to host the event, the province said in 2018.
