World Scout Jamboree

Guests this week were local scouts from 83rd and 62nd Fife Scout groups in Cairneyhill and Crossford. Niamh and Sophie who attended the World Scout Jamboree in South Korea held from 1–12 August 2023. They explained how they were 36 selected out of 120 applicants and had to attend 4 Training camps. 

When they flew out from Edinburgh to Seoul they were immediately hit by the 40°C heat. Read more at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-68902885

During the first week in Korea the scouts took in a cultural visit to Bukchon Hanok Village where they saw restored traditional Korean houses, called Hanoi.  They visited the War museum and Seoul searching, a ghost walking tour. In day four they were privileged to visit the DMZ, the Demilitarised Zone between North and South Korea.

The rest of the week saw them visit Lotte World - the world’s largest indoor theme park, day 5 at the Animal cafe and went on a river cruise.  The week touring closed at the 236 metre high Namsan Tower or Seoul Tower, a communication and observation tower located on Namsan Mountain in central Seoul, South Korea. 

The Opening ceremony of the 25th World Scout Jamboree was next hosted by Korea Scout Association with the theme, "Draw Your Dream."  The ceremony included an impressive Baden Powell light show. They scouts set up camp at Saemangeum but sleeping accommodation was on crates.

Each day patrols would visit different zones of the massive camp. Unfortunately there was not enough shade and meetings were under gazebos. The campsite was built on wetlands - bad choice, no trees, no shelter. It became evident that sanitation, transportation, infrastructure, and other basic needs of the visiting Scouts were not going to be met.

In 40 degrees, 95% humidity and a typhoon forecasted the 4500 UK scouts were first to leave the campsite, emergency evacuation. All the 45000 scouts would follow in the ensuing days. 

Niamh and Sophie explained how Seoul 2.0 started with a bus journey to a 5 star hotel! The UK ended up leaving the campsite as the typhoon struck. Other scouts were not so lucky with their alternative accommodation which included University halls, US military camps, library floors and halls.

From Sunday 6th August they attended:-

Day 1 Seoul v E-land FC football match. 

Day 2 swimming

Day 3 Starfield Mall & Library

Day 4 Alive Museum and Maze, four ceilidhs taking in all UK scouts

Day 5 Culture Day visiting a church

Day 6 closing ceremony World Cup stadium

Day 7 Myeongdong and the last supper

Day 8 homeward bound

The 2023 Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree K-pop Super Live was a concert served as the closing ceremony of the 25th World Scout Jamboree held in the Seoul World Cup Stadium on 11 August 2023.

After this fantastic whirlwind of a talk the club’s vote of thanks was appropriately given by PP Ian Grieve whose son Ross had attended the 17th World Scout Jamboree in 1991, also held in Korea. Ian observed that Niamh and Sophie had a wonderful never to be forgotten experience. Ian said that their presentation was a credit to the scouting movement.

Link to BBC report of problems with the Jamboree - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-68902885