South Korea evacuates thousands of explorers ahead of typhoon

BUAN, South Korea, Aug 8 (Reuters) – South Korea on Tuesday began evacuating thousands of teenage participants in the World Scout Jamboree from a camp in the country’s southwest to safer areas, mainly around the capital Seoul. , before a typhoon approaches.

The evacuation is the latest blow to the 10-day festival, after hundreds fell ill due to a heat wave and amid growing complaints from parents about their organization, prompting an early US withdrawal and british explorer quotas.

Typhoon Khanun, which has already wreaked havoc in southern Japan, is expected to hit southern areas of South Korea on Thursday before tracking up the peninsula, bringing strong winds and rain, according to forecasters.

At the sprawling camp on reclaimed land, the scouts were dismantling tents and folding tarpaulins for the ground Tuesday before lugging their loaded backpacks to board nearby buses.

More than 1,000 buses were deployed to transport the 36,000 scouts staying at the camp from more than 150 countries, according to authorities.

The convoys will be escorted by helicopters and police patrol cars, Interior Minister Lee Sang-min said at a briefing. Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi province would host more than 16,000 scouts, with others deploying to six other areas in South Korea, he said.

“Each local government will verify the cleanliness of accommodation and toilets,” the minister said.

His comment came after the head of the UK Scouts told Reuters that bad sanitation it was one of the reasons why the largest contingent decided to leave the camp early.

The organizers said that most of the participants will have their own room or will share it with another person.

“This is the first time in more than 100 years of World Scout Jamborees that we have had to face such complex challenges,” said Ahmad Alhendawi, Secretary General of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, in a statement.

President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered an emergency response team on Monday to implement the latest plans smoothly.

Poland is scheduled to host the next World Scout Jamboree in 2027, but President Andrzej Duda canceled plans to visit the event in South Korea this week due to the typhoon, an official at the Polish Embassy in Seoul said.

The ill-fated jamboree has tarnished South Korea’s successful record of hosting major events, including the summer and winter Olympics, and the soccer World Cup alongside Japan. The port city of Busan is currently running as a candidate to host the Expo in 2030.

The jamboree will officially run until August 12, and the South Korean government has insisted it continue, with alternative shows and a K-pop show.

Reporting by Hyunsu Yim and Park Ju-min in Seoul and Hyun Young Yi in Buan; Edited by Ed Davies and Sonali Paul

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