Foreign embassies on alert over health, safety concerns at Jamboree

A participant is carried on a stretcher at a medical center of the 25th World Scout Jamboree, which is taking place in Saemangeum, in North Jeolla Province, Friday. Reuters-Yonhap

At least 600 young Scouts suffered heat exhaustion

By Lee Hyo-jin and Kwon Mee-yoo

Foreign embassies in Korea are on high alert as tens of thousands of young participants at the World Scout Jamboree ― taking place on the reclaimed land of Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province ― are grappling with an unrelenting heat wave and poor facility management.

Since the first official day of the global scout gathering on Tuesday, over 600 participants have suffered heat-related diseases such as headaches, dizziness and exhaustion as of Thursday, according to the Jamboree organizers. A total of 39,304 young Scouts from 155 countries are taking part in the 12-day event, significantly lower than the more than 43,000 originally expected.

“Things are still in limbo. We want to see the medical facilities and food sanitary issues in person. We ask for immediate action from those who are responsible,” Konstantinos Daskalopoulos, a counselor at the Embassy of Greece in Seoul, told The Korea Times, Friday.

He also expressed concerns about a COVID-19 outbreak at the camping site. According to event organizers, 28 participants have tested positive for the virus as of Thursday.

Over the last couple of days, many family members of the young Scouts have raised concerns through social media that the participants are being exposed to scorching heat on land reclaimed from the sea, which lacks natural shade. Other than the sweltering weather, Scouts are also suffering from hygiene issues such as spoiled food and a lack of water, showers and clean toilets.

“One of the students suffered heat stroke yesterday, but was taken to a hospital outside because the medical center in the camp was closed due to a shortage of doctors,” Daskalopoulos said. “We would like to see (how the new measures are implemented). For two days, they (the Korean government) have told many things, but this morning, I have been told that toilets are not the way they are supposed to be yet.”

The Czech Embassy in Seoul said on social media, Thursday, that it helped Czech participants of the 25th World Scout Jamboree by arranging emergency accommodation. Captured from X

The Czech Embassy, for its part, said it offered support to its nationals who had issues with transport and accommodation.

“There are 413 participants from the Czech Republic. Although most of them arrived in Seoul on Aug. 1, they could not move to the campground due to its unpreparedness,” the embassy posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Wednesday.

As the Czech Scouts had nowhere to sleep, the embassy arranged accommodation for them in a dormitory of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, the embassy said in another post uploaded on Thursday. It added that it delivered 20 spades, other digging tools and 240 rolls of toilet paper to the Jamboree site.

The U.S. Embassy in Seoul said it is in close communication with the event's organizers, Boy Scouts of America Leadership and U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) to ensure the safety of its nationals.

The U.S. contingent, with about 700 members, arrived a day later at the campsite than scheduled as the Jamboree organizers needed more time to prepare the venue. The American Scouts spent the night at U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.

Some embassies, including the British Embassy, sent officials to Saemangeum to check on the situation and offer on-site consular services to its nationals. The U.K. delegation is the largest at this year's event, with some 4,300 young Scouts.

Norwegian Ambassador to Korea Anne Kari Ovind also paid a visit to the Jamboree site, Thursday, to encourage some 600 students from Norway.

The Canadian and Irish governments have reportedly requested the Korean government through their embassies in Seoul to check on the safety measures at the Jamboree site.

An official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told reporters, Friday, that the ministry is swiftly delivering the concerns raised by foreign embassies to the Jamboree organizers.

Later in the day, Korea's Ambassador for Public Diplomacy Hong Seok-in gave a briefing to officials from 23 foreign embassies in Seoul about the additional measures taken by the Korean government regarding the health and safety of the participants. The ministry plans to hold another briefing later this week.

The foreign ministry has also launched a taskforce, led by Second Vice Minister Oh Young-ju, to better support communication between diplomatic missions and Jamboree organizers.

Tents are installed at the campsite of the 25th World Scout Jamboree at Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province, Friday. Yonhap

Korea is currently sweltering under a prolonged heat wave with temperatures on Friday reaching 38 degrees Celsius in some parts of the nation. The sizzling heat is expected to continue throughout the weekend, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.

As of 5 p.m., Thursday, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety raised the level of emergency duty of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters to Level 2. It is the first time in history for the nation's disaster headquarters to operate at Level 2 due to a heat wave.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the main organizer of the Jamboree, said it will cancel some outdoor activities and expand safety measures and medical services. Participants will be offered heat stroke treatment items such as ice packs, salt tablets and five bottles of ice water every day.

Minister of Gender Equality and Family Kim Hyun-sook speaks during a briefing, Friday, at a press center in Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province, where the 25th World Scout Jamboree is being held. Yonhap

“We are aware that many embassies are expressing concerns about the World Scout Jamboree. We have taken or plan to take appropriate measures regarding such concerns. We are closely communicating with diplomatic missions through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” Minister of Gender Equality and Family Kim Hyun-sook said during a briefing.

Heat-related problems have typically emerged as a big challenge during the quadrennial global scout gathering which takes place during the summer.

During the 23rd World Scout Jamboree held in 2015 in the reclaimed land of Kirarahama, Yamaguchi Prefecture, in western Japan, over 3,000 participants among a total of 33,628 suffered from heat exhaustion as temperatures rose to nearly 40 degrees Celsius with humidity levels hovering around 80 percent.