Despite heatwave warnings, South Korea presses on with world scout jamboree

Participants wait in a long line to get into a souvenir shop at the camping site for the 25th World Scout Jamboree in Buan, South Korea, August 4, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

BUAN, South Korea (Reuters) -South Korea decided on Saturday to press on with hosting the World Scout Jamboree, despite warnings about the dangers posed by the extreme heat the country is enduring, and the U.S. and British contingents pulling out a week early.

Tens of thousands of scouts, aged between 14-18 years, had flocked to Saemangeum, near the town of Buan on South Korea's west coast, where temperatures have hit 33 Celsius (91.4F).