The big World Scout Party, held in South Korea and which thousands of participants have already fled due to the heat and poor organization, will end earlier than expected due to a typhoon warning .
“Due to the expected impact of Typhoon Khanun, an early departure will be provided for all participants,” the World Organization of the Scout Movement said in a statement on Monday, asking the authorities to help repatriate the dozens of thousands of children and teenagers taking part in the festival.
“We urge the government to expedite the departure plan and provide all necessary resources and support to participants during their stay and until they return to their home countries,” she said. added.
No details were provided on where attendees will be met before heading home.
According to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, all activities scheduled for Monday afternoon have been canceled and participants will start leaving the camp on Tuesday morning.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office said in a statement that participants could be relocated to Seoul and its surrounding areas.
Some 36,000 participants from 156 countries will be evacuated from 10:00 a.m. (0100 GMT) on Tuesday, Vice Minister for Emergency Management Kim Sung-ho said Monday.
“We will do our best to accommodate participants” during the remaining five days, Kim said.
Powerful Typhoon Khanun, which killed at least two people as it passed over the Japanese archipelago of Okinawa last week, is expected to reach South Korea on Thursday, according to weather services. It is expected to bring heavy rain and high winds up to 44m per second, they say.
About 43,000 people from all over the world joined the giant scouts’ jamboree at the end of July in Saemangeum, on the west coast of South Korea. The festival, held every four years, was to end on August 12.
But the event quickly turned into a nightmare: thousands of participants, including 4,000 Britons and 1,500 Americans, left the rally early last weekend due to extreme heat and poor organization.
According to local authorities and organizers, around 600 participants suffered from heat stroke or other ailments related to the scorching temperatures.
The British retreated to Seoul, while the Americans were welcomed by their country’s army at its base in Pyeongtaek, south of the capital.
Singapore Scouts also decided to leave the site earlier than planned.
The Korean peninsula is currently experiencing a humid heat wave, with temperatures ranging from 35 to 38 degrees, which has triggered the maximum heat wave alert.
Local media described the situation as a “national disgrace” given the time the country had to prepare for this gigantic gathering.
For Lee Hoon, a tourism specialist at Hanyang University in Seoul, the problem is that it was officials who organized it and not scout experts.
“Scouting events should be supervised by someone who is an expert who really knows the programs,” Lee told AFP, adding that “it will definitely damage South Korea’s reputation abroad. “.
The government sent military doctors and nurses to the scene, as well as air-conditioned buses and refrigerated trucks loaded with ice water.
Emergency aid of 6.9 billion won (5.3 million dollars) was also adopted to deal with this situation.
In addition to the problems posed by the heat, local media reported poor camping conditions, with rudimentary showers and toilets. Not to mention the many insect bites.
And, to make matters worse, the regional authorities indicated on Saturday that 70 participants in the great scout mass had contracted the Covid.
07/08/2023 11:19:52 – Seoul (AFP) © 2023 AFP