South Korea is making preparations to evacuate over 36,000 scouts as Tropical Storm Khanun threatens the World Scout Jamboree. The scouts, predominantly teenagers from 158 countries, will be moved by bus from the coastal jamboree site in the southwestern county of Buan to venues in the capital city, Seoul, and the surrounding metropolitan area. The evacuation, which will begin on Tuesday morning, will utilize more than 1,000 vehicles and is estimated to take at least six hours. Once evacuated, the campsite will no longer be used for any event.
Reports suggest that thousands of scouts from Sweden, Norway, and Denmark may be transferred to the US military base, Camp Humphreys, which is already accommodating American scouts due to heat concerns. The plans to evacuate the scouts were announced following a call from the World Organization of the Scout Movement for quick action by the South Korean government to move the scouts out of the storm’s path and provide necessary support.
Tropical Storm Khanun has been following an unusual path around Japan’s southwestern islands, causing heavy rain, power outages, disrupted flights, and train services. It is forecasted to maintain its strength as it brushes Japan’s main island of Kyushu and is expected to make landfall in South Korea on Thursday morning. The storm, which could have winds as strong as 118 to 154 kph (73 to 95 mph), is likely to affect large areas of South Korea, including Buan, as early as Wednesday.
Prior to the evacuation announcement, concerns had already been raised about the heat and large number of young participants at the jamboree. Hundreds of scouts had been treated for heat-related ailments since the event’s start. The Norwegian and Danish scouts have already begun leaving the campsite to avoid any potential chaos during the evacuation process. Efforts are being made to arrange new cultural events and activities for the scouts before they depart, including the possibility of a K-pop concert at a Seoul soccer stadium on Friday.
South Korea’s safety ministry has instructed local officials to prepare for the storm’s arrival, including closedown plans for coastal areas, hiking trails, river parks, and other flood-prone sectors. While jamboree organizers had initially intended to evacuate the scouts without abandoning the campsite entirely, they are now working on securing more than 340 evacuation venues in the surrounding regions.
Overall, South Korea is taking proactive measures to prioritize the safety and well-being of the participating scouts as Tropical Storm Khanun poses a significant threat to the World Scout Jamboree.
