South Korea throws huge K-Pop concert for scouts after storm Khanun disrupts jamboree

South Korea has thrown a huge K-Pop concert in Seoul for 40,000 scouts whose global jamboree was disrupted by the weather.

The scouts cheered as the singers began performing on a brightly illuminated stage amid light rain, waving heart-shaped light sticks and filming with their phones.

The show was quickly put together by government officials as the closing event of the World Scout Jamboree, and had performances from various artists including NewJeans and Ive.

It came as the country began to clean up and make repairs in the aftermath of the storm, Khanun, which pounded the country’s southern and eastern regions with intense rains and winds, forcing thousands to evacuate and killing at least one person.

Earlier this week, UK Scouts evacuated its youngsters and adult volunteers from the original jamboree site having become increasingly concerned about the state of the toilets, the availability of food and medical services, and the “punishing heat”.

Organisers called off the event on Tuesday because a storm was approaching the site in Saemangeum on the south-west coast of the Korean peninsula.

Nearly 16,000 people, mostly in southern regions, had been forced to evacuate from the storm but around 11,400 have returned home as of Friday, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

The storm damaged or destroyed at least 64 roads and damaged around 50 homes and buildings. Authorities restricted access to nearly 700 motorways as the rain persisted.

UK Scouts chief executive Matt Hyde said moving the 4,500 British scouts and adult volunteers into hotels in the country’s capital had cost £1 million which would be taken from its “reserves”.

He said he felt “let down” by the jamboree’s South Korean organisers.

But a spokesperson for UK Scouts said the money spent relocating youngsters had come from “charitable reserves” deliberately built up during the pandemic to cover unexpected operating costs, and would not “fundamentally affect” future plans.

The UK Scouts’ “jamboree journey” continued in Seoul this week and a programme of activities including trekking, bus tours and cultural exchanges was organised with help from the British Embassy, Mr Hyde said.

A group of youngsters from Manchester was treated to a behind-the-scenes tour of the British embassy, and other units had the opportunity to spend the afternoon at the Blue House, the South Korean president’s residence.

A scout group from Gloucester was given a guided tour of the War Memorial of Korea, while others were offered free tickets to a football match in the capital.

Scouts celebrated a “culture day” on Thursday, sharing UK culture with the world and finding out more about the other nations in attendance.

The 45,000 Scouts who travelled from all over the world for the jamboree gathered at the Seoul Olympic Stadium on Friday night to celebrate the “unique jamboree journey”.

They will travel back to the UK over the next week.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.