The 762 Portuguese scouts participating in the World Jamboree are well and are being evacuated, like all participants, from Saemangeum to Seoul, due to the approach of a typhoon, the National Scout Corps (CNE) assured today.
“The participants continue to be transported to Seoul, where the activity should continue, of course, in different ways, until Saturday. The Portuguese scouts are all fine,” the head of the CNE press office told Lusa agency.
Henrique Ramos explained that participants in the activity, which brings together 43,000 scouts, “are being transported in about 900 buses provided by the government of South Korea, which has been involved in the process from the beginning”.
“With this change of location, which everyone understands, the organization was forced to find an alternative and complementary program, since the fact that they are not on the field, prevents many of the planned activities from taking place,” he said.
According to Henrique Ramos, in Seoul, the scouts will be housed mostly in schools and sports venues, somewhat similar to what happened last week in Lisbon with World Youth Day (WYD), an event that the South Korean capital will host in 2027.
The decision to move the activity to Seoul, which is about 200 kilometers from Saemangeum, was made on Monday due to the approach of Typhoon Khanun, but the event, which brings together scouts from around the world, had already been criticized, mainly due to poor hygiene conditions.
Over the weekend, thousands of participants, including 4,000 Britons and 1,500 Americans, left the meeting prematurely due to extreme heat and poor organization.
According to local authorities and organizers, some 600 participants suffered heatstroke or other illnesses related to the torrid temperatures.
Under the aegis of the Scout Federation of Portugal, FEP, 762 Portuguese, over the age of 14, associated with the CNE and the Association of Scouts of Portugal (AEP), participate in the world’s largest scouting activity.
The 25th Jamboree, themed Draw your dream, is organized by the government of South Korea and the Korea Scouts Association, together with the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM).
