Jamboree K-pop concert moved to Seoul’s World Cup Stadium, Friday

The World Scout Jamboree’s K-pop concert, which was originally scheduled for Sunday last week will be held on Friday at 7 p.m in Seoul World Cup Stadium, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Tuesday. The closing ceremony will be held at the same venue on the same day, marking the end of the global event.

The K-pop concert was originally scheduled to be held at the campsite’s outdoor stage in Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province last week, but it was postponed and moved to Aug. 12 at Jeonju World Cup Stadium for safety reasons amid the extreme heat.

Following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s call on Saturday for tour programs to be offered to the World Scout Jamboree participants to replace the event’s outdoor program -- which was canceled after hundreds suffered from heat-related illnesses and insect bites at the jamboree campsite in the Saemangeum -- the organizing committee and the Culture Ministry have been rescheduling the events planned for the last few days of the meeting.

The Culture Ministry said they picked Seoul World Cup Stadium, considering the relocation of some 20,000 Scouts to the Seoul metropolitan area on Tuesday and the accumulated know-how on operating large-scale events at this venue. The capacity of the stadium, which can hold up to 66,000 people, was also a reason.

“We feel truly sorry to see the K-pop concert, which was to offer a grand finale for the Saemangeum Jamboree in Jeonju World Cup Stadium, have to be moved due to the path of the typhoon. But we’re sure that the Saemangeum Jamboree will continue powerfully as a K-pop concert drama in Sangam, Seoul. Friday’s concert will be a moving finale to the jamboree, with some 40,000 Scout members experiencing the real charm of K-culture together,” said Culture Minister Park Bo-gyoon.

Authorities said that the detailed list of the musicians performing will be updated. Local media outlets have reported that K-pop groups NewJeans and Seventeen could appear. Meanwhile, ruling party lawmaker Rep. Seong Il-jong asked the Defense Ministry to support BTS in making an appearance on his Facebook page Tuesday, causing a stir. The original list of performers included Ive, Stayc, ATBO, Nmixx and more.

As of Tuesday morning, about 37,000 young Scouts and adult volunteers began leaving the original jamboree campsite in the coastal Saemangeum reclaimed tidal flats area, due to the approach of a powerful typhoon forecast to hit Korea’s southern region on Thursday morning, according to the organizing committee.

Their accommodations will be paid for first by other provincial and city governments such as Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, Incheon, Cheonan, Daejeon, Sejong, North Chungcheong Province, South Chungcheong Province and North Jeolla Province. The majority of the participants will be housed in schools and company dormitories, as well as military facilities. The Interior Ministry will later reimburse the local governments for the costs.