South Korea plans to send military doctors and nurses to Saemangeum to augment medics and emergency responders assisting the organizers of the 2023 World Scout Jamboree since Tuesday (August 1) after at least hundreds of teenage participants fell ill from the heatwave the country is experiencing.
With Seoul's weather agency reported the heatwave to last until next week, and the World Scout Jamboree ending on August 14, The office of South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo confirmed the deployment of military medical personnel, 30 physicians, and 60 nurses, to the scouting camp to assist medics and emergency responders at the scene.
Separately, South Korean Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min called for more ambulances, shuttle buses, and air conditioners to remain on standby.
Bear Grylls to Scouts: Stay Hydrated
More than 43,000 participants, mostly between 14 and 18, were attending the jamboree organized by the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM), the first global gathering of scouting movements since the COVID-19 pandemic. The camp site is located in an area of reclaimed land where temperatures are expected to reach 35C on Thursday (August 3).
The event coincided with the most severe heat warning by the South Korean government in four years, with temperatures in some parts of the country exceeding 38 degrees Celsius this week.
Officials said at least 600 participants have been treated on-site for heat-related ailments, Reuters reported.
"Most of them were experiencing mild symptoms, such as headache, dizziness, and nausea and all returned to their camp sites," a fire official in North Jeolla province told reporters.
Recently, South Korean authorities have reported at least 16 deaths due to the heatwave in the country.
As Chief Scout, British celebrity adventurer Bear Grylls attended the opening ceremony. He urged attendees to stay hydrated. "It's hot. Look out for each other please," he said in an Instagram post.
Read Also: July's Record-Breaking Heat Waves Linked to Climate Change, Experts Say
Poor Terrain, Spoiled Food
Aside from the heatwave, officials, and organizers have been concerned with other matters plaguing the event, such as serious bug bites, sunburns, and even food poisoning after several scouts and their parents divulged such matters to local media.
According to the jamboree's chief organizer Choi Chang-haeng, some of the participants from abroad were not used to the Korean weather. He added that many of the scouts fell ill during the opening ceremony despite the fact it was held at night because a K-pop concert was incorporated into it.
"There was a K-pop performance [during the opening ceremony], which led [the scouts] to expend energy and deplete their physical strength," he told reporters.
Choi also said in a press conference Thursday that 39 people are still being treated at hospitals for undisclosed conditions.
However, some attendees and their parents testified to local media, on the condition of anonymity, that the ground was so muddy to even sleep in and the food being served on the camping grounds was either insufficient or spoiled.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office said Thursday they were monitoring the situation "closely" and consular officials were dispatched on-site "to support attendees as planned and in line with standard practice for such events.
"We are in regular contact with both Scouts UK and the Korean authorities to ensure the safety of British nationals," the statement added.
The World Scout Jamboree is the world's largest scouting event, which takes place every four years across the world. The last time South Korea hosted the event was in 1991.
Related Article: Extreme Heat in South Korea Results in at Least 16 Deaths
