愛污传媒

Skip to main content

Scouting body calls for South Korea to cut Jamboree short as thousands of British scouts leave

Tents are pitched at a scout camping site during the World Scout Jamboree in Buan, South Korea, Aug. 4, 2023. (Choe Young-soo/Yonhap via AP) Tents are pitched at a scout camping site during the World Scout Jamboree in Buan, South Korea, Aug. 4, 2023. (Choe Young-soo/Yonhap via AP)
Share
SEOUL, South Korea -

The world scouting body urged South Korea to cut short the World Scout Jamboree as thousands of British scouts began leaving the coastal campsite Saturday because of a punishing heatwave.

Hundreds of participants have been treated for heat-related ailments since the Jamboree began Wednesday at the site in the coastal town of Buan as South Korea grapples with one of its hottest summers in years.

The World Organization of the Scout Movement said it asked South Korean organizers to "consider alternative options to end the event earlier than scheduled and support the participants until they depart for their home countries."

Should organizers decide to proceed, there needs to be stronger assurances "they will do everything possible to address the issues caused by the heat wave by adding additional resources," the body said in a statement.

"We continue to call on the host and the Korean government to honour their commitments to mobilize additional financial and human resources, and to make the health and safety of the participants their top priority," it said.

The statement came after the U.K. Scout Association announced it was pulling out more than 4,000 British Scouts from the Jamboree and moving them into hotels over the weekend.

The departure of the Jamboree's largest national contingent represents a huge public relations setback for the South Korean hosts, who have scrambled to continue the event. President Yoon Suk Yeol promised an "unlimited supply" of air-conditioned buses and refrigerator trucks to provide chilled water to the site.

Organizers have cancelled activities requiring hard physical effort and added more emergency vehicles, medical staff and air conditioning to the site, while Seoul's Foreign Ministry is operating a special taskforce to address concerns raised by foreign diplomatic offices over the safety of the event.

South Korea this week raised its hot weather warning to the highest "serious" level for the first time in four years, and temperatures around the country hovered between 35 and 38 degrees Celsius (95 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit) on Friday. According to South Korea's Ministry of the Interior and Safety, at least 19 people have died from heat-related illnesses across the country since May 20.

About 40,000 scouts, mostly teenagers, from 158 countries came to the Jamboree at a campsite built on land reclaimed from the sea. About 4,500 were from the U.K.

Long before the start of the event, critics had raised concerns about bringing that many young people to a vast, treeless area lacking protection from the summer heat.

According to South Korea's government, 138 Jamboree participants received treatment for heat-related illnesses Thursday alone. At least 108 participants were treated for similar ailments following Wednesday's opening ceremony.

Choi Chang-haeng, secretary-general of the Jamboree's organizing committee, insisted that the event is safe enough to continue. He linked the large number of patients Wednesday to a K-pop performance during the opening ceremony, which he said left many of the teens "exhausted after actively releasing their energy."

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

NEW THIS MORNING

NEW THIS MORNING

New data shows the automated speed enforcement camera on King Edward Avenue, between Bolton Street and St. Patrick Street, issued 6,337 speeding tickets in August, the highest number of tickets issued by Ottawa's 40 photo radar cameras.

The Ministry of Labour is investigating a workplace incident that claimed the lives of two people in Georgian Bluffs, south of Owen Sound.

According to the Canadian Women & Sport's 2022 Rally Report, 76 per cent of girls who participate in sports believe it helps build confidence and enhances their mental health. While those benefits are important for all children, the organization's CEO says, right now, girls have less access.

It鈥檚 1998. Google was just born, and dial-up was the primary way to connect to the Internet. New sites were being developed daily on any number of topics, from recipes to shopping. David Yanciw, however, was thinking big - big things, that is.

Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard has been found not guilty of sexually assaulting a young woman in northeastern Ontario eight years ago. The former Hedley frontman had pleaded not guilty to sexual assault.

Local Spotlight

Chantal Kreviazuk is set to return to Winnipeg to mark a major milestone in her illustrious musical career.

From the beaches of Cannes to the bustling streets of New York City, a new film by a trio of Manitoba directors has toured the international film festival circuit to much pomp and circumstance.

A husband and wife have been on the road trip of a lifetime and have decided to stop in Saskatchewan for the winter.

The grave of a previously unknown Canadian soldier has been identified as a man from Hayfield, Man. who fought in the First World War.

A group of classic car enthusiasts donated hundreds of blankets to nursing homes in Nova Scotia.

Moving into the second week of October, the eastern half of Canada can expect some brisker fall air to break down from the north

What does New Westminster's t蓹m蓹sew虛tx史 Aquatic and Community Centre have in common with a historic 68,000-seat stadium in Beijing, an NFL stadium and the aquatics venue for the Paris Olympics? They've all been named among the world's most beautiful sports venues for 2024.

The last living member of the legendary Vancouver Asahi baseball team, Kaye Kaminishi, died on Saturday, Sept. 28, surrounded by family. He was 102 years old.

New data from Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley shows a surge in supply and drop in demand in the region's historically hot real estate market.