Bomb threat at National Museum of Korea after Scouts Jamboree heatwave chaos

09 August 2023 , 06:54

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Scouts from the UK were due to visit the museum, before the warning was made

A national museum in South Korea has revealed police are investigating a bomb threat, ahead of a visit by youngsters from the UK, Denmark and Norway for the World Scout Jamboree.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency received a warning suggesting the National Museum of Korea and Namsan Tower would explode, prompting the major investigation by officers. Officers are currently on site with police dogs conducting a search for explosives in the area.

The terror is the latest to plague this year's World Scout Jamboree, which has been held every four years since 1920 and hosted by a different country, and attended by thousands of Scouts from all over the world for a week of celebration and activities. Earlier this month at least 108 people were treated for heat-related illnesses as the country grappled one of its hottest summers in years.

Thousands of Scouts were evacuated from the Jamboree this week (Getty Images)

Yesterday thousands of scouts were bussed away from their campsite on land reclaimed from the sea near Buan ahead of a huge tropical storm which dumped heavy rain on Japan's southwestern islands for more than a week. Officials on Tuesday mobilized more than 1,000 buses to transfer 37,000 global scouts to university dormitories, government and corporate training centres and hotels in the capital Seoul.

South Korean organizers say the Jamboree will continue in the form of cultural events and activities, including a K-Pop concert in Seoul on Friday to go with the closing ceremony, all outdoor activities will be banned from Thursday until the storm passes.

Hundreds of teenagers fall ill at World Scout Jamboree in South Korea

Yesterday a furious mother launched a scathing attack against the organisers of the World Scouting Jamboree when her son was forced to wade through knee-high waters and walk for a mile to use a "grotty" and unsanitary bathroom. The mum, who lives in Glasgow but asked not to be named, said her 17-year-old son and husband each paid £4,000 to be among the 4,500 British Scouts at the jamboree event in Buan, South Korea.

She told The Mirror: "My son was telling me that he had to walk for a mile to go to the bathroom and every toilet that he went into didn’t have toilet paper. I mean, that’s a fairly basic standard of expectation.

"There’s an expectation in Scouting that you’re prepared to rough it, right. It’s camping, it’s not a glamorous holiday. But there’s a difference between expecting that you’ll be comfortable to rough it but then basic standards of hygiene being met."

Antony Clements-Thrower