Heat wave may cut shortWorld Scout Jamboree

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, Aug. 5, 2023, because of a punishing heat wave. American scouts were preparing to pull out, too.

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.

The statement came after the UK 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 represented a huge public relations setback for the South Korean hosts, who scrambled to continue the event.

Hundreds of American scouts were also expected to depart the site on Sunday and relocate to a US military base near the South Korean capital, Seoul, said an email the contingent sent to members. It said leaving was necessary because of the “extreme weather and resulting conditions.”

South Korea this week raised its hot weather warning to the highest level for the first time in four years, and temperatures around the country hovered between 35 and 38 degrees Celsius on Friday.

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 UK. / AP