Yoon discusses 'contingency plan' for Jamboree participants
President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers a welcoming speech during the opening ceremony of the 25th World Scout Jamboree in Saemangeum, about 180 km southwest of Seoul, in this Aug. 2 photo provided by the presidential office. Yonhap
President Yoon Suk Yeol and his aides have been discussing a "contingency plan" to ensure the safety of participants in the World Scout Jamboree ahead of the expected landfall of Typhoon Khanun later this week, his office said Monday.
Yoon was briefed on the plan by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and Interior Minister Lee Sang-min earlier Monday, after beginning related discussions with relevant ministers the previous day, senior presidential secretary for press affairs Kim Eun-hye said in a written briefing.
"The contingency plan involves the possible relocation of scouts' lodgings and remaining events to Seoul and the surrounding capital area," she said.
Sources told Yonhap News Agency the government has been looking at various alternatives for lodgings, including college dormitories in Seoul and training facilities owned by public organizations and businesses.
A K-pop concert currently scheduled for Friday, the eve of the Jamboree's closing, could also be moved to Seoul World Cup Stadium or a similar large stadium in the capital.
The concert was initially scheduled to take place Sunday at the Saemangeum camp site, the venue of the Jamboree and a reclaimed wetland on the southwest coast, before being rescheduled to Friday at Jeonju World Cup Stadium.
Yoon has overseen the response to the heat-plagued Jamboree while on a weeklong vacation until Tuesday.
Earlier, he instructed the government to provide unlimited air-conditioned buses and refrigerator trucks to protect young participants from the scorching heat wave at the camp site.
Over the weekend, thousands of attendees from Britain, the United States and Singapore left the site over health concerns.
There was speculation Yoon would carry out a minor Cabinet reshuffle upon returning to work, including the nominations of a new industry minister and a new science minister, but a presidential official said that has become unlikely as he focuses on handling the response to the Jamboree.
Meanwhile, the justice ministry will brief Yoon later this week on potential beneficiaries of the special presidential pardons expected on the occasion of the Aug. 15 Liberation Day.
A senior ruling camp official said the list is likely to exclude politicians and comprise mainly businesspeople and ordinary citizens convicted of petty crimes.
Yoon will also begin preparing for his trilateral summit with U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida scheduled for Aug. 18 at the Camp David presidential retreat in the United States. (Yonhap)