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| A K-pop concert closes the 25th World Scout Jamboree after the closing ceremony held at Seoul World Cup Stadium, Aug. 11. Yonhap |
By Jon Dunbar
Scouts and International Service Team (IST) adult volunteers from around the world who attended the World Scout Jamboree closing ceremony on Aug. 11 had good and bad things to say about the event.
The event had originally been scheduled at the initial Jamboree site on reclaimed land in Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province, but after the site was evacuated ahead of Typhoon Khanun, the closing ceremony and K-pop concert were moved to Seoul World Cup Stadium.
"I'm impressed with what the government managed to put together in just a few days," said an IST volunteer from a South American country. "It was great to see all of the people that came to the Jamboree back together for at least a couple of hours.
Depending on who you ask, the arrival and departure at the stadium went either smoothly or poorly.
"The closing ceremony was poorly organized at the beginning with it being hard to get to our seats, taking over an hour," a British Scout said on condition of anonymity, "although that was more the fault of other units not getting there quickly and generally something that was hard to avoid and was to be expected really ... It took over an hour to get back to the bus and over half an hour for the bus to set off once we got onto it so that was a bit of a hassle but overall the day went fine."
"The arrival at the arena and the departure went OK," said a German Scout. "You can say they learned out of the chaotic opening ceremony (on Aug. 2 at Saemangeum) because the organization was pretty good in all."
"I heard and saw people coming in when the closing ceremony was about to close," a Scout from a Nordic country said.
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| Scouts from around the world arrive for the 25th World Scouting Jamboree closing ceremony at Seoul World Cup Stadium, Aug. 11. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
The German Scout, meanwhile, wasn't impressed with the closing ceremony and the K-pop performances.
"I personally didn't like the closing ceremony," the German said. "The closing ceremony part was only 30 minutes. We also didn't understand much because the speakers weren't loud enough."
Meanwhile, the British Scout complained about the high volume. "It got a bit too loud for me so I put some earmuffs in ― but I know this wasn't an issue for everyone," the British Scout said.
Both Scouts also differed in their reactions to the K-pop concert.
"The songs were fun, nice and exciting," the British Scout said. "Everyone enjoyed the music, including me, even people who weren't fans of K-pop."
"The K-pop concert was pretty boring, especially for everyone who didn't like K-pop," the German said. "There weren't any songs the majority could sing along."
All three Scouts did mention the food and gifts handed out to the participants during the huge event.
"Although it was packed, we all got food and free gifts," said the British Scout, "which included bricks, plushies, figurines ― and everyone got ponchos and flashing lights."
"The food provided at the closing ceremony was pretty OK ― some sweet and salty snacks," the German said. "But the mood of the people was good."
"I heard that people just didn't get their food at all," the Nordic Scout said. "We got food but there were problems with getting food for people with allergies and it has been for the entire event"
The IST noted that the event was livestreamed for all to watch, even outside the Scouting community.
"I would say that the K-pop concert was more about showing Koreans and the world that Scouts are having a great time and having a big party to celebrate the end of Jamboree," the IST said. "Parts of the show were made for TV and not of us at the stadium. The drones got great shots of the fireworks outside the stadium, while us inside could only hear them."
But maybe people in other seats got a better view, because the English Scout complimented the fireworks. "The fireworks were nice," the Scout said. "Everyone cheered at each firework/shower of sparks/flame and they were fun as the Scouting spirit is always linked to fire. As the saying goes, 'Once a Scout, always a pyromaniac.'"
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| Scouts from around the world arrive for the 25th World Scouting Jamboree closing ceremony at Seoul World Cup Stadium, Aug. 11. Joint Press Corps |
Intolerance on display outside stadium
All three interviewees shared observations about on aspect of the event: outsiders were allowed into the grounds around the stadium to promote controversial religious messages to the participants as they arrived and left.
"We saw a guy holding up a sign with 'Homosexuality is a sin' and he also held a big cross," said the German Scout.
"I did not see any Christians at the stadium saying anything about homosexuality being a sin, although there were Christians with megaphones shouting something but it was too loud to make out what they were saying," the British Scout said. "They gave me a leaflet which, although not containing anything about homosexuality on it, had some things on it that were threatening damnation if you don't join their version of Christianity."
The British Scout added that many Scout units and other participants in Korea for the Jamboree had been displaying and wearing Pride flags happily.
"I saw one while walking from the bus to the stadium, then a group of five handing out leaflets as we got closer to the stadium, then some with a megaphone right outside the stadium, and finally another one when leaving the stadium to the bus," said the IST, who also reported seeing the 'Homosexuality is a sin' sign. He added that the venue grounds "should be cordoned off from the public but the evangelicals and the anti-gays managed to be here too with their signs and giving out cards, coming in and promoting their agenda at what should have been a safe space for Scouting."
