Domino Withdrawal Continues... The Jamboree Competition's Ordeal

Following the British Scout contingent of over 4,500 participants, the U.S. Scout delegation has also decided to withdraw early from the 2023 Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree camp, signaling a potential 'domino withdrawal' movement among various national delegations.

The United States, including adult volunteers, totals about 1,200 people, which accounts for roughly 15% of the total participants deciding to leave the Jamboree held in Saemangeum, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do. This has drawn global attention to the dark history of Jamboree events.

On the afternoon of the 5th, British Scout members are loading luggage onto a bus at the Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree campsite in Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do.
Photo by Yonhap News

While the heatwave is an unavoidable factor, similar incidents were repeated at the Japan World Jamboree held at the reclaimed land Kirarahama.

According to major foreign media and Yonhap News, at the 23rd World Jamboree held from July 28 to August 8, 2015, many patients suffered from heatstroke, dehydration, and burns due to temperatures nearing 40 degrees Celsius and humidity exceeding 80%.

Out of 33,628 participants, 3,247 (10.4%) sought hospital treatment, indicating significant difficulties. Although six participants were urgently transported due to heatstroke, it did not escalate into a large-scale heatstroke incident.

Due to the harsh environment, the Japan Self-Defense Forces supplied additional drinking water daily to participants.

The World Jamboree held in Japan at that time faced issues such as August heatwaves, a treeless reclaimed land, high humidity, and insect problems, making it a sufficiently instructive case when preparing for the Jamboree in Saemangeum.

The 2005 National Jamboree held in Virginia, USA, from July 25 to August 3, also experienced disruptions due to heatwaves, similar to this year's Saemangeum Jamboree in Korea.

The daytime temperature at the Army base 'Fort A.P. Hill,' where the Jamboree was held, exceeded 37 degrees Celsius, and humidity was higher than usual.

About 300 people complained of dehydration and dizziness and were transported to hospitals. It is known that around 40,000 participants gathered under the hot sun for about three hours awaiting a visit from President George W. Bush.

On the 4th, vehicles from the Central 119 Rescue Headquarters were stationed at the Jamboree campsite.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, a storm accompanied by strong winds and lightning struck, causing numerous injuries. Early in the event, four Scout leaders who were setting up tents died from electric shock accidents.

Previously, the 17th World Jamboree in Goseong in 1991 also faced difficulties due to weather. One-third of all tents collapsed due to rain and wind, and abnormally low temperatures 2 to 3 degrees below average caused problems in event proceedings.

The 11th Marathon World Jamboree in Greece in 1963 witnessed the most tragic incident related to Jamboree events.

A passenger plane carrying 24 Filipino Boy Scouts crashed into the Arabian Sea before the event.

At the 1997 National Jamboree, a teenage participant died in a vehicle rollover accident while driving a Humvee borrowed from the U.S. military without authorization to transport supplies.

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