Participants gather under the shade as they prepare to leave the camping site of the 25th World Scout Jamboree in Buan, South Korea, August 8, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean officials have promised to provide plenty of clean toilets at an all-star K-pop concert for young scouts on Friday, hoping that the show will salvage their experience after a disastrous jamboree.
A lack of sanitation was one of the reasons cited by contingents from the United States and Britain when they pulled out of the World Scout Jamboree, along with heat-related injuries and other issues. The campsite was fully evacuated on Tuesday as a tropical storm approached.
The criticism appeared to weigh on South Korean officials, who went out of their way on Thursday to promise that the K-pop concert at the Seoul World Cup Stadium would have enough clean toilets for everyone.
"We are putting a lot of effort on sanitation aspects to ensure the scouts' have a pleasant experience at the stadium," Culture Ministry spokesperson Kang Jeong-won said at a briefing.
"To prevent congestion, 30 additional mobile restrooms will be installed at the venue and more than 200 sanitary workers including restroom maintenance will be deployed," he said.
About 90,000 water bottles will be provided to keep the scouts hydrated, Choi Hoon, a senior Interior Ministry official, told the briefing. Police and firefighters will be deployed at the stadium for safety, he added.
The international jamboree, with more than 40,000 participants from around the world, was marred by unheeded warnings and lack of preparations.
Scout groups are now scattered at sites across the country, with some scouts taking K-pop dance classes.
Nearly 20 K-pop acts including NewJeans and ITZY will perform at Friday's concert, according to the organisers.
(Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Josh Smith and Angus MacSwan)
