"We Were Getting Sicker and Sicker" Diary of the Swedish Scouts at Saemangeum Jamboree

Foreign Media Reports on the Situation After the Event
"Restroom Hygiene Serious...Blocked Toilets and Feces on Walls"
"Went to Clinic for Leg Pain, Received Sleeping Pills and Cough Medicine"

The '25th Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree,' which was criticized worldwide for poor event preparation, concluded on the 11th with the 'K-pop Super Live' concert. However, even after the jamboree, discomforts during the event were reported through foreign media, and the aftershocks continue.

Moa Mannerstrom, Swedish Scout Troop Leader.
Photo by The Guardian

On the 12th (local time), the British media The Guardian reported the diary of Moa Mannerstrom (23), the leader of the Swedish Scout troop. Mannerstrom arrived at the Saemangeum Jamboree site on the 3rd, the day of the jamboree opening ceremony, and recorded in detail in her diary about the heat and poor sanitary conditions during the approximately six days until the troop's withdrawal from the jamboree site.

Through her diary, Mannerstrom conveyed that the jamboree was conducted in a 'complete mess,' and the scouts were gradually becoming exhausted.

Saemangeum Camp Unprepared Despite Being a Day Late from the Original Schedule

On the 8th, participants of the 2023 Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree are dismantling tents at the Jamboree campsite in Buan-gun, Jeonbuk.
Photo by Yonhap News

According to Mannerstrom, the Swedish Scouts arrived at the Saemangeum camp on the 3rd, the day of the opening ceremony. Despite being a day late from the original schedule, the camp was not prepared at all, the troop leader recorded.

She said, "We were assigned a red zone, which meant it would be flooded if it rained, so we were debating whether to set up tents or not," adding, "We were in a state where we couldn't even pitch tents, and it took an hour to move to the opening ceremony venue. There was a 2-meter-wide bridge on the way, which caused congestion. There was no crowd control."

Eventually, the tents were set up only by 2 a.m. after the opening ceremony ended. She recalled the time as "a very exhausting and intense start."

Furthermore, Mannerstrom noted, "It was so hot inside the tents that after 7 a.m., we couldn't enter. Some scouts began to suffer from heatstroke. Water was scarce, and the tap water smelled of chlorine and was lukewarm."

Mannerstrom also mentioned food issues as another problem. Some Swedish scouts had gluten allergies, and they were repeatedly given gluten-free cornflakes and bananas. Vegetarians were served only noodles without any protein substitutes.

On the 5th, the third day of the jamboree, news spread that the British Scouts were withdrawing, causing unrest throughout the camp. She expressed concern that although volunteers were persistently trying to persuade participants, if the current situation persisted, the jamboree would not proceed properly.

Jamboree Campsite Did Not Improve Significantly Even After Government Intervention

On the afternoon of the 8th, participants of the '2023 Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree' are entering the dormitory of Baekseok University in Cheonan, Chungnam. On this day, 1,600 people from Sweden, Madagascar, Belgium, Nicaragua, Senegal, Cameroon, and other countries entered Baekseok University.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Even after the British Scouts withdrew, the poor conditions did not improve significantly.

Mannerstrom raised her voice, saying, "The scouts were getting sicker, and creating shade for them to rest became an urgent task."

In particular, Mannerstrom pointed out the hygiene issues of the restrooms. She said, "I used the youth restroom once, and it was unbelievably hot," adding, "When I came out of the restroom into the 33-degree heat, I actually felt relieved."

She also recalled, "I heard from the scouts that the trash bins in the women's restroom were overflowing with sanitary products, and the walls of the men's restroom were smeared with feces."

From the 6th, after the American Scouts left, the Korean government intervened, leading to visible changes such as improvements in restroom conditions and the installation of shade tents. However, some unreasonable incidents still occurred in areas like medical care.

She said, "Because the restrooms were cleaned several times a day, the number of clogged toilets decreased significantly," but also lamented, "One scout suffering from heatstroke went to the clinic. Although his leg was paralyzed, they only gave him cough medicine and sleeping pills."

Ultimately, on the 7th, due to the northward approach of Typhoon Khanun, a decision was made to evacuate the jamboree campsite, and Mannerstrom and the Swedish scouts left by bus on the 8th.

As she left the campsite, Mannerstrom said, "The Swedish scouts on the bus enjoyed the air conditioning for the first time since participating in the jamboree," adding, "I really felt sorry for all the volunteers. When we left, the atmosphere was very gloomy."