'Saemangeum Jamboree' to Continue Until the 12th Without Interruption... "We Will Do Our Best for Safety Management"

The government has decided to continue the '2023 Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree,' where heat-related illnesses are rapidly increasing due to the heatwave, without interruption.

On the afternoon of the 5th, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo held a press conference at the Jeonbuk Saemangeum 2023 World Scout Jamboree and stated, "Regarding the event schedule, we held a meeting with representatives from each country today and decided to continue the event without interruption."

Earlier, following the UK, which sent the largest number of personnel due to the extreme heatwave, the United States and Singapore also decided to withdraw, and the World Organization of the Scout Movement recommended suspension, putting the event at risk of being halted.

Prime Minister Han added, "The government and private sectors have taken various measures to ensure the safety management and smooth progress of the World Jamboree." He said, "The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport deployed an additional 104 cooling buses on top of the existing 130, and the Ministry of National Defense installed 64 shade tents and canopies covering 3,715㎡ (1,124 pyeong)." He continued, "Starting today, the government has begun deploying more than 700 service personnel to maintain cleanliness of convenience facilities such as shower facilities."

Furthermore, he said, "Regarding medical personnel, we have added 28 doctors, 18 nurses, 13 paramedics, and 9 administrative support staff," and added, "Private medical institutions such as Yonsei Severance Hospital with 18 personnel and Seoul National University Hospital with 11 personnel will also provide medical staff support." Earlier, as problems continued, the government allocated 6.9 billion won in contingency funds for emergency support at the Cabinet meeting on the 4th.

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Prime Minister Han stated, "Many private sectors have also provided support," and said, "Hyundai Heavy Industries quickly deployed equipment and personnel necessary for repairing and expanding convenience facilities such as shower facilities. In addition, more than 20 companies and organizations sponsored various heatwave prevention items such as bottled water, ion drinks, iceboxes, hand fans, and parasols. We appreciate the efforts of the private sector and the support of the public."

Kim Hyun-sook, Minister of Gender Equality and Family, the head of the responsible ministry, also said in a briefing, "We will do our best to ensure the safety management of Saemangeum Jamboree participants and the smooth progress of the event until the Jamboree ends in cooperation with related ministries," and added, "The Jamboree will proceed as originally planned until August 12."

Regarding the controversial issue of restroom cleaning reported in the media and on social networking services (SNS), she said, "Today, we have added 678 personnel and created a restroom cleaning schedule to inspect hygiene conditions and ensure that hygiene is always maintained."

She also mentioned that transportation support will be provided for countries withdrawing early and that off-site programs will be expanded beyond Jeonbuk.

Meanwhile, starting from the previous day, following the UK, the scout delegations from the United States and Singapore decided to withdraw early from the campsite. British scouts left the Jamboree campsite in the afternoon and headed to Seoul. On the other hand, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, and others expressed their intention to remain at the event.

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