In this August 6, 2023 photo provided by the Samsung Group, a health worker from the group’s medical team treats a patient at the Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree Camp on the southwest coast of Korea from the south. (Sold and archived is prohibited)
SEOUL, Aug. 7 (Yonhap) — South Korean businesses rushed Monday to support World Scout Jamboree harassed by the heat, providing supplies and health care professionals, to try to relieve any hardship the young Scouts may be feeling very hot.
The Samsung Group sent about 150 employees to the Saemangeum camp, an area reclaimed from the sea on the southwest coast, on Monday to help clean up the site.
Samsung, the country’s largest conglomerate, which owns hundreds of businesses, including hospitals, has dispatched an 11-person medical team over the weekend. The company also provides portable toilets, electric carts and isotonic drinks to improve conditions at the campsites.
Samsung Electronics said it would operate a tour program for scouts to its chip factories, in Pyeongtaek or Hwaseong, both in Gyeonggi province, and other facilities.
Over the weekend, thousands of participants from the UK, US and Singapore fled the camp due to health concerns, as a wave of extreme heat continued to scorch the country.
South Korean organizers have also faced increasing criticism for their lack of adequate preparation, despite previous warnings from critics about bad weather conditions and possible risks to young participants.
The LG Group on Sunday said it would send out an additional 300 tents, so participants could rest in the shade. The company previously supplied portable electric fans, neck coolers and other items.
The company is also considering holding tour programs at its factory and other facilities, including an “Innovation Gallery” at the LG Science Park in western Seoul and the Hwadam Botanical Garden in Gwangju, in Gyeonggi province.
Other big companies, including steel giant POSCO; HD Hyundai Group, a shipbuilding, oil refining and machinery conglomerate; and GS Engineering & Construction, have begun taking similar steps to help improve camping conditions.
SPC Group, the food and beverage giant, said it will give Scouts ice cream and baked goods every day until Saturday, when the event ends.
anita@yna.co.kr
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