World Scout Jamboree
Global youth festival should be safe, memorable event
The 25th World Scout Jamboree kicked off Tuesday for a 12-day run at Saemangeum, a huge area of reclaimed land on the southwest coast of Korea. The Scout Jamboree is the world’s largest global youth event. More than an estimated 43,000 youngsters from 158 countries are expected to participate in the festival. Held every four years, it is called the cultural Olympics for young people.
It attracts international youth and leaders to enhance the values of friendship and harmony. Jamboree has been dedicated to providing youth from around the world with precious opportunities to nurture their physical and mental strength, thus contributing to national development and world peace. For this, there cannot be racial and religious differences or discrimination among the participants.
Even more meaningful, Korea is hosting the event once again after 32 years. It held the first one in 1991 in Goseong, Gangwon Province. Korea is now the sixth country to host the festival twice.
The Organizing Committee for the 25th World Scout Jamboree and the North Jeolla Province authorities have mapped out diverse programs such as Korean traditional plays, hanok (a Korean traditional house) stay, and temple stay to enable participants to experience Korean culture firsthand.
The participants will be encouraged to demonstrate the unique culture of their home countries during the Cultural Exchange Day on Aug. 6. In particular, they will be given chances to attend “K-Pop Super Live,” which will feature performances by famous K-Pop stars. It will be a precious opportunity for them to have unforgettable memories of Korea.
The 1991 Goseong Jamboree was significant for Korea, as it helped promote the nation’s enhanced image and status following the 1988 Seoul Olympics. The current event is also meaningful in that youngsters from around the world are enhancing their friendships and cooperation toward promoting global peace at a time when the world is witnessing growing conflicts due to the protracted war in Ukraine.
Saemangeum is symbolic as it has become a mecca of environmentally-friendly industries by reclaiming land from the sea. The construction of Saemangeum first began in 1991, but was halted after four years due to environmental problems. After severe legal disputes, the Supreme Court ruled at the time that the Saemangeum project would be in the public’s interest, thus paving the way for its construction. Completed in 2010, it is now the world’s longest man-made dyke at 33.9km-long, and links Gunsan and Buan in North Jeolla Province. It was the nation’s greatest land reclamation project covering an area of 49,000 hectares, equivalent to two-thirds of Seoul.
This is the reason why we compare the history of Saemangeum with the event’s slogan, “Draw Your Dream,” symbolizing the challenging spirit one must possess toward achieving limitless potential. Moreover, the youngsters will get acquainted with Korea’s state-of-the-art technologies through various facilities installed at the campsite such as the metaverse pavilion, designed for them to harbor dreams and aspirations for the future. Organizers are planning 1,743 on-site and off-site programs in 57 categories.
Unprecedented scorching heat will likely threaten the safety of the participants. The Organizing Committee and related personnel should double down on taking all possible measures to prevent accidents. On the opening day of Aug. 1, some 20 foreign participants were medically treated for heat-related issues such as dehydration with the temperature rising to 35 degrees Celsius.
The Organizing Committee has been operating a situation room utilizing AI technology. Yet the organizers should prepare more prudent and detailed steps to protect the participants. Among others, the current event is far greater than the Goseong event in terms of the number of participants and venue size. They also need to take measures to cope with possible damage caused by heavy rain or harmful insects. In fact, some parts of the campsite were inundated due to a recent downpour.
Source: Yonhap News Agency