Japanese scouts attending the 25th World Scout Jamboree in Korea on Aug. 11 take a photo after presenting a paper artwork that they folded and pasted as a token of gratitude to staff at Danyang-gun County Office including Deputy Mayor Lee Hyei-ock (fifth from left). (Danyang-gun County Office)

By Lee Kyoung Mi

Japanese scouts who attended the 25th World Scout Jamboree in Korea have thanked the Buddhist temple of Guinsa in Danyang-gun County, Chungcheongbuk-do Province, and the community there for their hospitality. 

The county office said that as a token of gratitude, the scouts on Aug. 11 gave a paper artwork that they folded and pasted to staff when leaving the temple. Hailing from the Japanese prefecture of Chiba, the participants on Aug. 8 left the Jamboree site early in Saemangeum, an estuarine tidal flat in Buan-gun County, Jeollabuk-do Province, due to Typhoon Khanun and entered Guinsa. 

There, they experienced a temple stay and other interactive cultural programs.

The county swiftly installed shower stalls and bathrooms for the scouts' convenience, as well as dehumidifiers and air conditioners. Those suspected of having COVID-19 or influenza were isolated at public health centers, while ill scout participants were sent to hospitals and well taken care of.

Chungju Medical Center and Jecheon Seoul Hospital in the region also volunteered to care for the scouts.

Four firefighters from the Danyang-gun fire department worked as a rapid response team around the clock in three shifts to prepare for emergencies. The county branch of the government-run Korea Water Resources Corp., aka K-water, also gave 1,000 500-ml bottles of water amid the heat wave, and Danyang-gun police and the office inspected surveillance camera footage to help one scout retrieve lost cash and another to find his passport.

"We hope that the Jamboree scouts who visited Chungcheongbuk-do will deeply feel the province's appeal and retain precious memories of their experience for a long time," Chungcheongbuk-do Gov. Kim Young-hwan said. 

"I am deeply grateful to all public officials, Guinsa Temple, related organizations such as universities and corporations, and provincial residents for wholeheartedly and sincerely giving the scouts a warm welcome in a safe and comfortable manner for four nights and five days despite difficult conditions like a typhoon."

km137426@korea.kr