Over 1,000 buses have been ferrying 40,000 participants from 155 countries away from the campsite of the World Scouting Jamboree in Saemangeum in South Korea in preparation for the arrival of typhoon Khanun on its southern coast by Thursday morning (August 10).
The bus convoy began relocating scouts Tuesday (August 8) from Saemangeum to inland locations like Seoul and the surrounding province of Gyeonggi.
South Korean Interior Minister Lee Sang-min told local media the scouts would be accommodated at 128 accommodation sites across eight provinces and cities around Seoul. He added the government would ensure participants would be "safe and comfortable" at their new lodgings, including university halls and hotels, vowing the jamboree would continue and hoped for participants to "finish their schedules with a happy heart."
South Korean Prime Minister Han Duk-soo also insisted Tuesday that the decision to relocate tens of thousands of scouts was "not a suspension" of the jamboree but a safety precaution to keep participants safe while the storm passes by, according to The Korea Times.
World Scouting: 2023 Jamboree 'Unlucky'
The decision to evacuate the scouts from the campsite was made after the South Korean scouting organization was criticized for a lack of hindsight in preparing for the event after hundreds of scouts fell ill due to the heatwave plaguing the country over the past week.
As a result, scouts from the UK, Singapore, and the US have left the event early, with the British contingent citing poor sanitation and food quality among their reasons for leaving, the BBC reported.
In a statement, World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) spokesperson Ahmad Alhendawi said the event had been "very unlucky" because of the heatwave and the upcoming storm.
"This is the first time in more than 100 years of World Scout Jamborees that we have had to face such compounded challenges," he added.
ROK Lawmaker: Give Currently-Serving BTS Members Leave to Boost Scouts' Morale
In an effort to mitigate national embarrassment surrounding the jamboree, South Korean lawmaker Sung Il-jong urged the military to give three members of the K-pop supergroup BTS leave from their current mandatory service to entertain the stranded scouts. He additionally called the visiting scouts "precious guests" whose schedules needed to be filled with "the power of Korean culture," given the change of plans due to bad weather.
The jamboree's closing ceremony will now be held Saturday (August 12) at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, followed by the K-pop concert, South Korea's culture ministry said Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis previously announced Sunday (August 6) Seoul would host the next World Youth Day in 2027. Korean Catholics urged church and state authorities to consider having the event held in the cooler months of the year to prevent a similar scenario such as the current scouting jamboree.
