'On Vacation' Yoon Orders 4th Public Response to Jamboree
President Yoon Suk-yeol emphasized on the fifth day of his summer vacation, the 6th, regarding the 2023 Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree, "I urge thorough hygiene management in the heat and especially ask for careful attention to prevent food poisoning and other incidents." This marks the fourth time President Yoon has publicly issued instructions about the Jamboree since the first day of his vacation on the 2nd.
On the same day in the morning, President Yoon received a report and conducted an inspection of the World Jamboree site situation from Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, as conveyed by Kim Eun-hye, the Chief of Public Relations, in a written briefing.
President Yoon also made a phone call to Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Foreign Minister Park Jin, ordering them to "carefully ensure that the British and American Scout students staying in Seoul and Pyeongtaek respectively can safely and beneficially experience cultural activities outside the venue."
On the afternoon of the 5th, British Scout members are loading luggage onto a bus at the Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree campsite in Buan-gun, Jeonbuk. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Although President Yoon began his summer vacation on the 2nd, he has been actively issuing public instructions since the first day after attending the Jamboree opening ceremony and ordering, "Thoroughly inspect and take measures regarding facilities and safety plans," due to various problems arising at the Jamboree.
Since the Jamboree started on the 1st in Saemangeum, Buan-gun, Jeonbuk Province, a heatwave with daily maximum temperatures exceeding 35°C has continued.
However, due to a shortage of facilities and supplies such as shade tents and bottled water, heat-related illnesses occurred in large numbers, and poor drainage caused puddles, leading to criticism calling it a "survival game" and pointing out the lack of preparation by the organizing committee, local governments, and the government.
Despite President Yoon's initial instructions, patients complaining of heat-related illnesses and skin diseases continued to appear due to insufficient convenience facilities, and mold was found on eggs distributed at the event.
Moreover, a convenience store on the site faced backlash for selling some products at more than twice the market price, leading to accusations of price gouging, after which prices were lowered.
On the afternoon of the 3rd, a heat illness patient is receiving treatment at the Jamboree Hospital within the Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree campsite in Buan-gun, Jeonbuk. [Image source=Yonhap News]
As the situation worsened, on the 4th, President Yoon gave a phone directive to "unlimitedly supply refrigerated and frozen trucks capable of providing large buses and cold bottled water, immediately improve the quality and quantity of meals supplied to the students, and have all government ministries fully mobilize to promptly resolve the issues on site."
Following President Yoon's instructions, the government held an emergency Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Han and decided to allocate 6.9 billion KRW from contingency funds to support supplies.
As Scout delegations from the UK, the US, Singapore, and others announced early departures, President Yoon also gave a phone directive the previous day to Prime Minister Han and Minister Lee Sang-min to "inspect the Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree camping site situation and urgently add tourism programs where participants can experience Korea's industry, culture, history, and nature."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
