'Survival Game Site' Jamboree... International Embarrassment Due to Foreign Media Reports

Jamboree Heat Illness Cases Surge... Safety Issues Under Scrutiny

Safety concerns have surged as heat-related illnesses have rapidly increased at the 2023 World Scout Jamboree held in Saemangeum, Buan, Jeonbuk. Although there are criticisms that preparations for the Jamboree were insufficient, it is difficult to downscale the event or change the venue. The ruling party and government stated they will implement safety measures for the Jamboree and quickly improve the situation on site.

On the 4th, the Safety Management Headquarters of the World Scout Jamboree Organizing Committee announced in a regular briefing that the total number of visitors on the 3rd was 1,486. Among them, 138 people showed 'heat-related symptoms,' and the cumulative number of heat illness cases has reached at least 500 from the 1st to that day.

On the afternoon of the 3rd, medical staff are attending to a patient at the Jamboree Hospital within the Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree campsite in Buan-gun, Jeonbuk. Photo by Yonhap News

With daytime temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius and the extreme heat extending into tropical nights, heat-related illnesses are rapidly occurring. As the heatwave continues, additional heat illness cases are expected to arise.

Foreign media have also been reporting on the damage. The British daily The Guardian wrote, "Hundreds of Jamboree participants have fallen ill as South Korea struggles with a prolonged heatwave." It especially noted, "The event was held on an 8.8 km² reclaimed land area," adding, "There was almost no natural shade."

As the controversy grew, participating countries began directly taking care of their youth attendees. The United States provided temporary accommodations at the Pyeongtaek US military base, and the United Kingdom dispatched consular staff to the Jamboree site.

There are calls to downscale the event or change the venue, but realistically, it is difficult. Kim Kwan-young, Governor of Jeonbuk, said on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus,' "Including support personnel, there are nearly 50,000 people. Moving these people somewhere else and starting anew is fundamentally impossible because facilities to support them, such as restrooms, must be in place."

Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party, is holding an emergency meeting on Jamboree safety management measures on the 4th. Photo by Yonhap News

The People Power Party and the government decided on the 4th to implement safety measures for the Jamboree. Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party, held an emergency meeting at the National Assembly to discuss Jamboree safety measures and said in a briefing, "The ruling party and government have decided to take immediate improvement actions regarding meals, facilities, hygiene, and safety for heat illness patients in addition to existing measures to prepare for the record-breaking heatwave and to support the safe activities of the largest number of participants ever during the Saemangeum Jamboree."

Floor leader Yoon added, "We will expand electricity supply capacity and newly provide cooling tents and buses," and "To enhance response capabilities in case of heat illness occurrences, additional medical personnel and supplies will be immediately deployed."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.