▲ Rehearsals are under way for the "K-pop super live" concert at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul on Aug. 11, 2023, hours ahead of the highlight of the 2023 World Scout Jamboree's cultural program. (Yonhap)
▲ Pools are seen at campsites at Saemangeum, the main venue for the 2023 World Scout Jamboree, on Aug. 11, 2023, after heavy rain pounded the reclaimed land on the southwestern coast. (Yonhap)
▲ Attendees of the 25th World Scout Jamboree are jubilant as they wait for a K-pop concert to be held at Seoul World Cup Stadium in the South Korean capital on Aug. 11, 2023, in this photo provided by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ Participants of the 2023 World Scout Jamboree smile as they are to attend a closing ceremony and K-pop concert at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul on Aug. 11, 2023. (Yonhap)
▲ Service members of the Capital Defense Command stand guard at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul on Aug. 11, 2023, to ensure the safety of participating Scouts. (Yonhap)

(3rd LD) jamboree-K-pop concert

(3rd LD) K-pop concert to wrap up 2023 World Scout Jamboree

(ATTN: UPDATES paras 6-10 as closing ceremony takes places; ADDS additional photos)

SEOUL, Aug. 11 (Yonhap) -- About 40,000 participants of the 2023 World Scout Jamboree gathered in Seoul Friday for a K-pop concert, which will wrap up the world event plagued by a heat wave and a typhoon with a glitzy entertainment show.

The "K-pop super live" concert is scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. for two hours at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul.

A total of 19 teams of K-pop artists, including NewJeans, IVE, NCT Dream, ITZY, Mamamoo, The Boyz, Kang Daniel and fromis_9, will perform at the show, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports said.

Also on the list are Shownu X Hyungwon, Zerobaseone, Kwon Eun-bi, Jo Yuri, P1Harmony, KARD, The New Six and ATBO.

The show will be co-hosted by actor Gong Myoung, ITZY's Yuna and NewJeans' Hyein and broadcast live on KBS and its YouTube channel.

Ahead of the farewell concert, a closing ceremony took place to look back on highlights of the global youth event and hand over the Scout flag to a representative from Poland, the host country for the 2027 jamboree.

"It is regrettable that Scouts have suffered difficulties due to the unprecedented heat wave and typhoon caused by climate change," Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said in a closing address.

"You've overcome adversity with a great sense of altruism and responsibility, and the Scout Spirit will serve as a basis for coalition and cooperation of the world," Han said, vowing to ensure the safety of each member until they return home.

He also expressed gratitude to volunteers, medical staff, government officials, and those in the economic, religious and cultural circles who have lent support for the event.

The closing ceremony was also attended by Andy Chapman, chairman of the World Scout Committee, and Ahmad Alhendawi, secretary-general of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, as well as co-chairs of the jamboree's organizing committee -- the ministers of gender equality and family, security and public administration, and culture, sports and tourism.

The K-pop concert was originally scheduled to take place at the campsite in Saemangeum -- a reclaimed tidal land area in Buan, North Jeolla Province -- last Sunday but was postponed due to concerns about accidents and heat-related illnesses.

The venue was initially changed to Jeonju World Cup Stadium, about an hour's drive from the campsite, and again to Seoul World Cup Stadium as a precaution against the approach of Typhoon Khanun toward the provincial area.

Seoul World Cup Stadium has a capacity of over 66,000 seats and is a major venue for sports games and music concerts.

The police will control the flow of traffic around the stadium in the afternoon as over 1,000 buses carrying jamboree participants are set to flock to the venue for the show.

About 40,000 young Scouts and adult volunteers from 156 countries have been staying across the nation after they left the campsite in Saemangeum, which was struck by bad weather but also plagued by mismanagement and safety risks.

The quadrennial global event kicked off in Saemangeum on Aug. 1 for a 12-day run, but British, U.S. and some other contingents pulled out of the campsite after just a few days amid safety concerns arising from a prolonged heat wave and a lack of sanitation in the reclaimed treeless land area.

On Tuesday, the rest of the Scouts were evacuated to Seoul and seven other regions as Typhoon Khanun was forecast to make landfall near the region. The typhoon passed vertically through South Korea on Thursday and dissipated after reaching North Korea early Friday.

Provincial governments and local companies hosted various cultural programs, including K-pop dance programs, temple stays, museum visits and factory tours, for the participants scattered across the country to help replace the campsite event with alternative culture programs.

World Scout Jamboree ends on a high note with star-studded K-pop extravaganza[https://youtu.be/sBZEAfKfTFE]

(END)

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]