Participants of the 25th World Scout Jamboree fill water bottles at a water supply area of a campsite in Buan, South Korea, August 2, 2023. Photo courtesy of Reuters
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday ordered air-conditioned buses and tanker trucks to be sent to a world scout event hosted by his country, after hundreds of teenagers fell ill due to hot weather.
At least 600 people at the World Scout Jamboree, which started Tuesday in southwest Buan, have so far been treated for heat-related ailments, officials said.
The event coincides with the highest heat warning issued by the government in four years, as temperatures in parts of the country exceeded 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit) this week.
Yoon called for an “unlimited” supply of buses where scouts can rest and refresh themselves and trucks to deliver water, his publicist, Kim Eun-hye, said in a statement.
He also ordered officials to improve the quality of food provided to the youths and all government agencies to work together to solve any problems at the campsite.
More than 43,000 participants, mostly Scouts aged 14 to 18, attend the jamboree, the first global gathering of Scouts since the pandemic.
