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Participants in the World Scout Jamboree in Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province, wait in line on Aug. 7 for an air-conditioned bus brought in as part of heat-relief efforts by the province’s fire service.

All participants in the 2023 World Scout Jamboree in South Korea, which has been mired in controversy over mismanagement, will be packing their bags and leaving camp, it was announced Monday. 

In a message posted to its website at 2 pm on Monday, the World Organization of the Scout Movement explained the truncation of the event, saying that it had “received confirmation this morning from the Government of the Republic of Korea that 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.”

Noting that the Korean government had informed the organization that it would “soon provide details of the departure plans and the venues that will host the participants,” the organized “urgently call[ed] on the Government to expedite the plan for departure and provide all necessary resources and support for participants during their stay and until they return to their home countries.”

It appears likely that the scouts will be relocated up to the greater Seoul area, where they will spend the rest of the jamboree schedule.

In a written briefing, presidential press secretary Kim Eun-hye said that President Yoon Suk-yeol had been briefed on and reviewed a typhoon contingency plan for the jamboree by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min.

Kim explained that the contingency plan enabled scouts to relocate their accommodations and remaining itineraries to Seoul and its surrounding areas.

By Chai Yoon-tae, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]