Korea moves to plan B as Scouts decide on early exit from Saemangeum

Participants from Germany dissemble their national booth after the country's contingent decided to depart from the World Scout Jamboree in the Saemangeum reclamation area of Buan, North Jeolla Province, Monday. (Yonhap)

All 36,000 scouts remaining at the World Scout Jamboree site in the Saemangeum reclaimed tidal flat area of Buan, North Jeolla Province will be withdrawing from the campsite starting on Tuesday morning as precautionary measure for a strong typhoon approaching the peninsula, the government said Monday.

The participants will start withdrawing sequentially from 10 a.m. on Tuesday and move to the metropolitan area, as Typhoon Khanun is likely to hit the east coast of South Korea on Thursday.

"About 36,000 people from 156 countries are subject to withdrawal, and a total of more than 1,000 buses will be mobilized," said Kim Sung-ho, vice minister for disaster and safety management of the Interior Ministry, at a briefing on measures related to the Scouts' early withdrawal. "Interpreters will also be deployed to facilitate communication."

Regarding the plan to secure emergency lodging, Kim said, “With the cooperation of local governments across the country, we plan to provide lodging to the jamboree members by securing as many administrative and private educational facilities as possible, centering on the metropolitan area that is not directly affected by the typhoon.”

All expenses for accommodations as well as tourism and educational programs will be covered by the government along with municipalities, he said.

Earlier in the day, the World Organization of the Scout Movement said its decision on early departure was made after it was informed about the typhoon shifting its course towards the peninsula. South Korea's weather agency predicted Khanun's impact of strong winds and heavy rainfall until Thursday.

“Due to the expected impact of Typhoon Khanun, an early departure will be planned for all participants at the 25th World Scout Jamboree from the campsite in Saemangeum,” said the WOSM through an official statement on its website. “The (South Korean) government informed WOSM that they will soon provide details of the departure plan and the venues that will host the participants.”

A K-pop concert, which had been originally scheduled for Aug. 6 and then moved to Aug. 11 in Jeonju, a 50-minute ride from the camping site, will be moved to Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo-gu, western Seoul. The government said as of Monday afternoon that it was considering bringing the event to Seoul.

Gender Equality Minister Kim Hyun-sook said at the briefing on the day, “We are discussing closely about the readjustment of the concert venue, and we are looking for an alternative such as the Sangam World Cup Stadium.”

British scouts who retired early from the 2023 Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree visit Gyeongbokgung Palace in Jongno-gu, Seoul on Monday afternoon and watch the changing of the guard ceremony. (Yonhap)

When asked whether the Scouts' early departure was suggested by the Korean government, the minister said the conclusion was made after consulting with WOSM.

The minister mentioned that she doesn't believe leaving the campsite equates to suspending the entire event. She said she considered it a broadening of the jamboree's scope, as additional programs from municipalities are being incorporated for the remaining days of the event. The campsite will no longer be operating as the venue for the event once participants depart on Tuesday.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, meanwhile, has received an emergency contingency plan report on the jamboree’s measures to prepare for the upcoming typhoon by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and Ministry of Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min on Monday morning. The report recommended that the Scouts’ accommodations and remaining jamboree program be moved to Seoul and other neighboring metropolitan areas, according to the presidential office.

Since last week, the government has been in emergency mode, mobilizing all possible means to help Scouts at the Saemangeum campground, which has been hit by a blistering heat wave and flooding on the ground.

The event has drawn extensive criticism for inadequate preparation and mismanagement, subjecting participants to scorching heat, limited shade, waterlogged grounds, heat-related illnesses and insect bites. Over the weekend, thousands of attendees from Britain, the United States and Singapore left the site. The jamboree event drew over 43,000 participants from 159 countries.