The South Korean media have already called this rally a national shame.
Photo: REUTERS
South Korea hosted the 25th World Scout Meeting, which was attended by children from many countries around the world. More than 4,500 teenagers went there from the UK alone. In total, more than 43 thousand people participated in the rally.
Knowing that the Korean Peninsula will be under the control of abnormal heat at this time, the organizers decided not to cancel the event.
As usual, it was supposed to take place in the field, in an open space. The thermometers marked +38 degrees Celsius, the sun burned mercilessly, there was a lot of humidity; the camp was attacked by hordes of mosquitoes. As a result, more than 600 teens ended up in the hospital due to heat stroke, blackouts, and dehydration.
It seems that the rally had to be stopped immediately or an opportunity to be moved to another place was sought, but the heat of the scout movement leaders did not bother.
The panic began when the well-known British television presenter, author of the Survive at Any Cost program, Bear Grylls, published on social networks an extract of his welcome speech at the opening ceremony of the demonstration. Drenched in sweat, barely moving his tongue, a seasoned extreme traveler looked so bad that the parents who sent his children to South Korea were genuinely scared.
Later it turned out that in the camp set up under the scorching sun there was not enough water, toilets, there were not enough doctors, at some point the military had to be called for help. The president of South Korea also intervened, allocating funds for the rental of air-conditioned buses, in which the children could at least shelter from the heat for a while.
The South Korean media have already called this demonstration a national shame, pointing to the fact that enough time and funds were allocated for the preparation of a massive event on an international scale. In addition, the parents of the teenagers also had to pay considerable sums out of their own pockets. Thus, the fee for the participation of a British scout cost about 3.5 thousand pounds.
The World Meetings of Young Scouts are held every 4 years. The first took place in 1920. Each time a new country is chosen to host them.
