South Korea will continue with the World Scout Convention, after ordering the mass evacuation of its scouts due to the threat of Typhoon Khanun. Officials of the country have confirmed this Monday that the meeting of thousands of Scouts, coming from more than 155 nationalities, will continue with an evacuation plan and state support to guarantee the safety of the participants.
Typhoon Khanun, which has caused damage in southern Japan, is expected to approach the World Scout Convention camp in southern South Korea on Thursday. Kim Sung-ho, an official from the Ministry of the Interior, the institution in charge of organizing the event, expressed through a press conference that around 36,000 participants will be transferred by bus to areas that are far from the trajectory of the typhoon. “For now it is only the location that is changing due to the natural disaster, but the event will still continue,” the official confirmed. The meeting of more than 40,000 participants is being held for the first time after being canceled due to COVID-19.
Convention organizers are looking for safe accommodations in and around Seoul, such as university dormitories, to accommodate the explorers while the storm passes. Since the announcement of Khanun’s arrival, hundreds of participants have decided to leave the event camp. A few days ago, the British and American participants left the camp due to extreme weather conditions, such as extreme heat and heavy rain. Both the British and the Americans have moved into other accommodation.
The world scout meeting takes place in the midst of one of the strongest heat waves in the history of South Korea. For the organizers of the event, the sudden climatic changes have been the biggest obstacle in the realization of the summit. The extreme heat caused hundreds of explorers to fall ill and provoked complaints from the participants. The governor of North Jeolla province, the region in charge of the summit, apologized and has conveyed his support for the cause. Officials have sent dozens of trucks with water and air conditioning to accommodate the participants.
The mass evacuations began after the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) called on South Korea to immediately move scouts out of the path of the storm. WOSM asked the country to “provide all the necessary resources and support for the participants during their stay and until they return to their countries of origin.” Many areas in the south of the country, including Buan territory, could be affected by the storm. South Korean media have warned residents of the affected regions to beware of potential landslides and heavy rain. However, officials plan to go ahead with the event and ensure the safety of the participants.
