Buan: Scouts from the United States and the United Kingdom withdrew from the World Scout Jamboree in South Korea on Saturday due to the extreme heat, but the event's organisers vowed to go on regardless of mounting criticism of the appalling campsite conditions.

Approximately 43,000 people have registered for the jamboree in North Jeolla Province, but due to the extreme heat wave, hundreds of scouts have become ill, prompting Seoul to send in military doctors, provide air-conditioned buses, and promise an all-out effort to save the event.

On Saturday, scout groups from the United States and the United Kingdom withdrew due to weather-related worries, despite organisers' assurances that the jamboree would go on. They urged participants to see the gathering as a "platform for overcoming challenges."

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Prime Minister Han Duck-soo stated that after conducting spot checks, the government discovered that the situation was no longer as bad as had been reported. He continued by saying that following discussions with participating nations, "we decided to continue the event without stopping."

Kim Hyun-sook, South Korea's gender minister, told reporters that Seoul would "add about 700 personnel today to address the issue of toilet cleaning" in response to widespread reports of primitive restrooms and poor sanitation.

Due to problems brought on by extreme weather, the World Organisation of the Scout Movement had requested that South Korea shorten the event, which was set to last until August 12 in the coastal town of Buan. For the first time in four years, South Korea issued its highest heat advisory this week.

According to American officials, 1,500 US scouts would be sent to Camp Humphreys, a US Army garrison in Pyeongtaek, due to heat-related concerns.

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The largest group of scouts, numbering about 4,000, started returning to Seoul on Saturday, according to officials, in an effort to "alleviate pressure on the site."

According to the Yonhap news agency, Singaporean scouts were also preparing to depart and Belgian officials were looking for new quarters.
For the South Korean government, which on Friday called an emergency Cabinet meeting and mobilised aid, the departure of British, American, and other scout troops is a significant PR setback.

The office of President Yoon Suk Yeol authorised spending of 6.9 billion won ($5.3 million) to support the jamboree, and on Saturday Yoon phoned camp administrators to urge them to provide more tourism programmes to the scouts.

In a statement on Saturday, the prime minister said that organisers would "create and operate a tour programme featuring South Korea's industry, culture, history, and nature."

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The event is facing more difficulties than just the heat, as Jeolla authorities reported on Saturday that about 70 people on the site had contracted COVID-19.

Given the time the nation had to prepare for the event, which occurs once every four years, local media have called the situation a "national disgrace."