Air-conditioned buses, refrigerated trucks and medics were dispatched to northern South Korea on Friday to help thousands of boy scouts around the world who suffered from sweltering heat during their giant jamboree.
The situation even caused the British scouts – the largest delegation, with 4,000 people, to leave the site prematurely.
The Korean Peninsula is currently experiencing a humid heat wave, with daily temperatures around 35 degrees, which has triggered the maximum heat wave alert.
The weather event comes as some 43,000 people from around the world are taking part in the World Scout Jamboree, the largest camp held in principle every four years by the Scout movement, which takes place this year in SaeManGeum, Jeolla province, in northern South Korea.
According to local authorities and organizers, around 600 participants suffered from heat stroke or other ailments related to the scorching temperatures. The South Korean government sent military doctors and nurses to the scene.
Local media described the situation as a “national disgrace”, given the time the country had to prepare for this gigantic summer gathering. Some spoke of scouts “stuck” on the isolated site, which is difficult to access.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has ordered the dispatch of an unlimited number of air-conditioned buses, where scouts can temporarily rest, as well as refrigerated trucks loaded with ice water, his spokeswoman said. , Kim Eun-hye.
An emergency cabinet meeting is also expected to approve 6 billion won ($4.6 million) in emergency aid to deal with the crisis.
Later in the day, the World Scout Movement announced in a press release that the scouts from the United Kingdom would leave the site prematurely to go to Seoul, to “continue their jamboree experience (…) until their return trip.
The U.S. military has offered to house about 600 American scouts at Camp Humphreys, a large military base in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul.
On social networks, Internet users have compared the situation to the game of life or death of the famous South Korean television series “Squid Game”.
“A salute to the scouts around the world who are coming to the K-Survival Game,” one of them quipped on Twitter, renamed X, above an image of pink costumes in the style of “Squid Game” .
The World Scout Movement acknowledged on Friday that an “extreme wave of heat and humidity” had led to “difficult conditions” for young people attending the jamboree.
“We share your concerns and are working closely with the organizers and the Korean government to ensure a safe, healthy and fun jamboree for everyone,” he wrote on X.
04/08/2023 17:50:04 – Seoul (AFP) © 2023 AFP
