"900 Prepared Sausages, Only 3 Sold" Jamboree Vendor Also in Tears

Most US and UK Scouts Leave Jamboree Campsite
K-Pop Concert Scheduled for Closing Ceremony on the 11th

As the 2023 Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree schedule is being canceled or postponed due to the heatwave, both participants and merchants are showing distress, saying that goods are not selling properly.

On the 6th, a story from a self-employed person selling food locally was posted on an online community. The author, Mr. A, stated, "I am selling food at the Jamboree," and claimed that the food prepared was not selling well due to the heatwave.

On the opening day of the 2023 Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree, scouts are walking to the campsite in Haseo-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do on the 1st.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Mr. A explained, "I had hopes that business would go well after hearing that 1,400 people visit here daily," adding, "I prepared as much food as possible, but since the Jamboree started, due to the heatwave and internal circumstances, fewer than 200 customers come per day." He continued, "Since it is an outdoor booth, only 3 out of 900 sausages prepared on the first day were sold."

Mr. A sold sausages for 3,000 won and bottled water for 1,000 won but said business was poor. He later added, "All the sausages were put into the freezer, and I only brought one box, but even those are not selling," and "Even the UK and US teams, which had more people and cash, are said to be leaving. Monday is frightening."

Finally, Mr. A said, "I felt sorry for the children struggling in the extreme heat, so I bought water balloons with my own money, filled them with water, and handed them out one by one," adding, "The children are all bright."

On the 6th, following the US delegation, the UK delegation also withdraws

The British Scout delegation, who left early from the 2023 Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree, arrived at a hotel in Yongsan-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of the 5th.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Earlier on the 6th, the US delegation left the campsite, and the UK delegation is also in the process of additional withdrawal. The US Scout delegation departed the campsite around 10:49 a.m. that day, heading to Camp Humphreys, a US military base in Pyeongtaek.

First, an advance group of 700 to 800 people departed on 17 buses, and the remaining staff left the campsite in the afternoon.

The UK delegation, which sent the largest number of about 4,400 youths and leaders among the participating countries, moved about 1,000 people to Seoul the previous day, and a similar number left the campsite on this day as well. The UK delegation plans to withdraw sequentially by the 7th and settle their luggage at hotels near Seoul and Gyeonggi Province.

The early withdrawn members will not return to the UK immediately but will stay until the Jamboree ends on the 12th and plan to experience cultural programs in Seoul.

At the 2023 Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree, British Scout members who left the camp early boarded the Gwanghwamun Seoul City Tour Bus on the night of the 6th, cheering before departure.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, the Jamboree organizing committee decided to postpone the K-pop concert scheduled for that evening to the closing ceremony on the 11th to prevent safety accidents amid the ongoing heatwave. Kim Hyun-sook, Minister of Gender Equality and Family and co-chair of the Jamboree organizing committee, stated, "We are reviewing the safest and most suitable venue so that the K-pop concert event can be enjoyed in a safe and comfortable environment," adding, "The location will be decided later."