South Korea to send more medics to global scout event for heatwave
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[August 03, 2023]
By Soo-hyang Choi and Hyunsu Yim
SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea is sending dozens of military doctors and
nurses to help out at the camp site of a global scout event on Thursday
after hundreds of teenage participants fell ill from the heatwave
gripping the country.
At least 600 participants at the World Scout Jamboree, which kicked off
in southwestern Buan on Tuesday, have so far been treated for
heat-related ailments, officials said.
The event coincides with the most severe heat warning by the government
in four years, as temperatures in some parts of the country exceed 38
degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit) this week.
"Most of them were experiencing mild symptoms, such as headache,
dizziness and nausea and all returned to their camp sites," a fire
official in North Jeolla province, southwest of Seoul, told reporters.
More than 43,000 participants, most of them scouts aged between 14 and
18, are attending the jamboree, the first global gathering of the scouts
since the pandemic. They are camping on an area of reclaimed land where
temperatures are expected to reach 35C on Thursday.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Aug/03/images/ads/current/brandt_sda_FAIR_2023.png)
Nationwide, at least 16 people have died because of the heat so far this
year. British celebrity adventurer Bear Grylls, who kicked off the
jamboree as Chief Scout, urged attendees to stay hydrated.
"It's hot. Look out for each other please," he said in an Instagram
post.
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![](../images/080323PIX/health43.jpg)
Participants for the 25th World Scout
Jamboree gather at a water supply zone of a camping site in Buan,
South Korea, August 1, 2023. Yonhap via REUTERS
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Aug/03/images/ads/current/graue_lda_GREYTRUCKpreowned_070323.jpg) South Korea's weather agency expects
the heatwave to last until next week. The scout event ends Aug. 14.
Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo ordered 30 military physicians
and 60 nurses to go to the camp to handle emergencies, his office
said. Earlier, Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min called for
more ambulances, shuttle buses and air conditioners to remain on
stand-by.
Kristin Sayers, a parent from the U.S. state of Virginia, said her
son initially had to sleep on the ground at the camp because the
tents were not ready. A fellow scout needed to be seen by medics due
to the heat, she added.
"The Scout motto is 'Be Prepared'. How could the organizers be so
unprepared? I'm disappointed my son's dream is looking more like a
nightmare," she told Reuters.
The ministry overseeing the event's organisation said it was
monitoring the weather to ensure the participants safety.
(Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi; editing by Jack Kim, Ed Davies, Miral
Fahmy)
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