Jamboree Heatwave Measures Still 'Messy'... Indoor Program Venues Also 'Scorching'

Central Government Steps Up to Announce Measures Focused on 'Indoor Programs'

Over 200 Participants at Ban Ki-moon Village Tent Hall with '42 Degrees'

No Thermometers in Many Places, Operated Only with Data Announced by Korea Meteorological

The central government announced that it would step in to devise measures for the 25th World Scout Jamboree in Saemangeum, Jeonbuk, which has been plagued by numerous heat-related illness cases and various operational failures, but the discord remained unchanged.

The Saemangeum World Jamboree Organizing Committee announced that they would suspend on-site programs and focus on indoor and Delta area programs. However, it was confirmed that the indoor temperature where the programs were held was actually higher than the outdoor temperature.

On the 4th, at the Saemangeum World Jamboree, where heat-related illness cases have been occurring continuously, a scene from the Ban Ki-moon Village (SDGs) lecture hall.
[Photo by Kim Geon-wan]

At around 3 p.m. on the 4th, a lecture involving Scouts took place in a medium-sized tent building at Ban Ki-moon Village in the Delta area. More than 200 people had gathered, but the heat countermeasures here consisted only of an industrial cooling fan and a few large fans. All the doors were left open.

The temperature checked by a facility official was 42 degrees Celsius, and a supporting IST official confirmed this. This situation rendered the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family’s announcement of operating indoor programs with improved air conditioning facilities meaningless.

Voices have also emerged expressing discomfort due to the absence of thermometers in various locations.

A supporting IST official at the village said, "There were no thermometers from the opening, which caused great inconvenience," adding, "A facility official came today to check the temperature, but it exceeded 42 degrees."

The organizing committee’s exhibition manager stated, "Thermometers were not installed from the beginning, and indoor and outdoor temperatures were operated based on the temperatures announced by the Korea Meteorological Administration," adding, "We will correct all related issues, including installing thermometers, starting tomorrow."

Mihaila, the World Scout Federation village manager, said, "From tomorrow, we will adjust the capacity and thoroughly prepare by supplementing and managing cooling equipment."

Meanwhile, from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the same day, there were 168 emergency dispatches recorded: 159 hospital transports, 9 on-site emergency treatments, and 6 others. Among these, 13 people were transported to off-site hospitals, and 23 cases of heat-related symptoms occurred. The cumulative number of heat-related symptom cases is 278.