The US, the UK and Singapore pulled out of a youth scout gathering in South Korea where hundreds of participants suffered from heat-related illness.
Organizers said Saturday the event will carry on until Aug. 12 despite the early departures by some countries. South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo vowed the nation will provide all necessary resources to protect the safety of the attendees.
The World Scout Jamboree, which kicked off earlier this week in the southwestern county of Buan, drew over 43,000 youths from 158 countries. South Korea’s extreme heat wave and humidity have led to challenging conditions for the attendees, prompting the World Organization of Scout Movement on Friday to ask South Korea to consider an early closure of the event.
Han told reporters Saturday that he conducted an inspection of the camp and spoke to participants.
“I could tell the conditions have been improved, but we don’t think that’s enough,” he said, adding further efforts will be taken to satisfy participants.
The Asian nation has been battered by a range of extreme weather, with flooding and landslides last month damaging homes and roads and killing people. Earlier this week, the government raised its heat wave warning to the highest level for the first time in four years, with some parts of the nation experiencing temperatures above 38C (100.4F).
Major companies in South Korea, including Samsung Electronics Co., sent volunteers, doctors and medical equipment to the jamboree. President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday ordered the government to provide resources such as air-conditioned buses and refrigerator trucks to address the health risks related to the weather.
“It’s the extreme weather condition though that complicated the situation,” Dale B. Corvera, chairman of the Asia Pacific regional scout committee, said in a briefing Saturday. “We just have to accept the fact that what is happening is an act of nature over we do not have any control at all.”
