Koreans Are Humiliated At How Disastrous The 2023 World Scout Jamboree Held In Korea Is — 400 Kids Suffering From Heatstrokes

Tens of thousands of teenagers attended the World Scout Jamboree held in Korea this year, but the poorly-prepared event is bringing humiliation to Koreans.

The World Scout Jamboree is the world’s largest youth camp that takes place every four years in different countries. The 25th World Scout Jamboree started on August 1 in South Korea, where about 43,000 young Scouts from 158 countries are in attendance.

With people from different parts of their coming to Korea for this event, this could be an opportunity for Korea to host the guests and welcome them with open arms. However, there were countless issues with the event, including extreme heat, constant mosquito bites, lack of prior information about the event schedule, insufficient or spoiled foods, bathroom facilities, and so on.

The Scouts are staying in tents in the middle of a tideland, where there is no natural shade. In Korea, it is peak summertime which meant that temperatures climbed up to 35C (95F) and higher. By the end of the first day, at least 400 attendees needed treatment after suffering from heat-related symptoms, such as fainting, headaches, dizziness, etc. Despite the rising number of patients, there were no hospitals nearby.

One parent who sent their middle school son to the event criticized the conditions during an interview on MBC Radio‘s Kim Jong Bae’s Focus. They expressed their frustration on how they made the kids stand up and clap for about 25 minutes amidst harsh conditions.

Children these days are raised as precious, but no matter how much it’s in the spirit of the Jamboree, shouldn’t they send the kids camping with basics such as hygiene and cleanliness at least? I talked to my son until late last night, and he was extremely tired… Some participants suffered from heatstroke from the 40C weather, and even after coming back from the hospital due to dehydration, they were asked to stand up and give a round of applause for 25 minutes when each guest arrived in alphabetical order.

— A parent of a child at the World Scout Jamboree

According to SBS News, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, which prepared for the festival, received an estimated budget of about ₩200 billion KRW (about $154 million USD), constructional costs included. Netizens are wondering where the money went because it did not appear to go toward the event. There was no proper drainage facility on the event site, so the ground was soaking wet.

There were also swarms of bugs due to the puddles on the ground caused by the lack of a draining system.

The shower facilities, which were just tents, made it easy for others to see inside. Some restrooms were unisex, and in the evening, there was no lighting, causing inconvenience. The lack of cleanliness and hygiene was a major concern.

There were more reports of poor conditions, such as mold found in eggs provided to the attendees and cases of excessive prices charged at convenience stores.

The parent on the radio show emphasized that the event lacks basic fundamentals of safety and hygiene and that the kids should be taken care of properly.

They should have access to cool water through electricity, and at the very least, they should be able to charge their phones. Instead of spending money on unnecessary things, the focus should be on investing for the sake of the children, not holding them accountable after accidents occur.

— A parent of a child at the World Scout Jamboree

What shocked netizens, however, was that the cost to attend the Jamboree was $5,800 per person, which is around 7.5 million won.

Korean netizens expressed their anger, humiliation, and empathy for the kids at the event in an online community. They wondered what the budget was spent on and demanded an investigation.

“It rained so long ago… and there are still puddles like that…”
“Wow, who is this person? They’re not even human. Are they determined to bring disgrace to our country? The cost to attend is expensive; are they gangsters or something? What is this?”
“What the, where did the budget to?”
“Move the kids to a cool place now. Are you going to wake up once something big happens?”
“ㅠㅠ Save the kids ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ”
“Even campers with a lot of equipment go camping in the shade or don’t go at all in this weather… Poor kids…”
“F*ck, they’re killing it with the national disgrace”
“They’re paying 7.5 million won each to come here?!?!??! That’s crazy”
“A bunch of thieves lol”
“I’m embarrassed to death”
“They’re paying 7.5 million won to be homeless… This is worse than the homeless situation at Seoul Station”
“This is a disgrace to Korea, wow”
“Which f*cker took all the money?”
“They’re humiliating the country in real-time… Where and who did all the tax money go to?”
“Do an investigation on where the money is pocketed, f*ck”
“They really need to investigate this”
“This is harsh”

Despite the controversy happening in real-time, Korea’s World Scout Jamboree Instagram page is posting content showing what the kids are doing, angering netizens and parents.