Wrecked World Scout Jamboree turns into tours, festivities

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Wrecked World Scout Jamboree turns into tours, festivities

Published: 10 Aug. 2023, 11:28 Updated: 12 Aug. 2023, 01:39

Participants of the 25th World Scout Jamboree enjoy the ″Welcome to Seoul Dance Night″ held in Gwanghwamun Square, central Seoul, on Wednesday. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

Seoul hosted the “Welcome to Seoul Dance Night” for participants of the 25th World Scout Jamboree at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul and Yeouido Hangang Park in western Seoul Wednesday.

The event came as an effort to present scouts moved to the capital area from Saemangeum in Buan County, North Jeolla, with a cherishable memory, the Seoul city government said in a statement Thursday.

A total of 2,500 scouts came together for the dance event that kicked off at 7 p.m.

EDM and pop music were played at a special live stage in Gwanghwamun Square for some 1,300 scouts.

Participants of the 25th World Scout Jamboree enjoy the ″Welcome to Seoul Dance Night″ held at Yeouido Hangang Park in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Wednesday. [NEWS1]

At Yeouido Hangang Park, B-boy and hip-hop dance-offs and jazz music combined with traditional Korean music were performed along with EDM music.

Participants tidied up the venues voluntarily after the event.

Seoul city officials were dispatched to monitor the scouts’ safety and to provide language support.

“The event was more fruitful thanks to the spirit of harmony and service as well as the active participation from the scouts,” a city official said.

Participants of the 25th World Scout Jamboree visit the demilitarized zone in Paju, Gyeonggi, on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

Other events prepared for Jamboree scouts were held throughout Seoul, including a trekking event around the trails of Namsan and fashion tour programs at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in central Seoul. In western parts of Seoul, trips to Seoul Botanic Park and visits to video studios and an Esports hall at S-Plex Center were arranged.

For some of the 15,000 scouts staying in Gyeonggi, a tour of the demilitarized zone was organized in Paju. Visits to observatories near the 38th parallel and historical sites such as Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon were also coordinated.

More than 5,000 scouts had a mud festival of their own at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, North Chungcheong. Some of these scouts went to Cold Wind Resort, where cold winds come from as deep as a thousand meters underground and keep the temperature below 12 degrees Celsius (53.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

However, due to Typhoon Khanun that made landfall on Thursday all outdoor programs for the Jamboree scouts were put on hold.

Participants of the 25th World Scout Jamboree participate in a mud festival organized for them at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Chungcheong, on Wednesday. [NEWS1]

BY SOHN DONG-JOO,KIM MIN-WOOK [sohn.dongjoo@joongang.co.kr]