During the evacuation of 36,000 scouts from the World Scout Jamboree in South Korea’s southwestern county of Buan as Tropical Storm Khanun was coming, 80 South Korean scouts left the Jamboree campsite because of another controversy involving a Thai male scout.
These South Korean scouts have also blamed organisers for mishandling an alleged sexual crime involving a male Thai scout leader who snuck into the women’s shower room on Wednesday. The Thai scout leader was reportedly given “a simple warning” by the Jamboree Organising Committee. The police and the organising committee said that the sex crime allegation had yet to be confirmed and was still under investigation.
Atthaphon Sangkhwa-si, the Permanent Secretary for the Education Ministry, said that the ministry sent people to coordinate with the Thai Embassy in Seoul to get the Thai scout leader out of the camp and put the new leader in charge instead. The minister also sent South Korea an apology letter.
Suthin Kaewpana, secretary general of the National Scout Office, said that the accused was a senior scout commander in charge of a group of nine scouts who left Thailand on July 31 and arrived in South Korea on August 1. Since then the Thai Scout crew worked all day to set up the tent in extreme heat.
“At 5 a.m. on August 2, the accused was in a hurry to take a shower and overlooked the sign for the women’s restroom on the opposite side of the room. He sang while having a bath, which the South Korean Scout leader noticed and reported to security,” said Sutin.
Even though the 4th sub-camp executive committee determined that the incident was caused by a misunderstanding and was not intended to be insulting, the Korean scout leader reported the incident to local police, which made headlines in major media outlets such as the Korea Herald.
“At around 5 a.m., the male Thai leader followed our female adult leader to the women’s shower room. After being caught at the scene, he lied, claiming that he was there to take a shower,” Kim Tae-yeon, leader of the North Jeolla Province Scout Association, told the Korea Herald, adding that about 100 people had witnessed the scene.
Kim lashed out at the Jamboree Committee for not taking proper measures such as separating the accused perpetrator from the scouts and protecting the victims. Kim said his association had reported the case to the local police.
Kim Hyo-jin, the head of the Jeonbuk Police Agency’s Women and Youth Investigation Unit said police had yet to confirm whether the Thai leader had a sexual intention when entering the shower room. “We are investigating whether other allegations such as forcible entry can be applied (to the case).”
Choi Chang-haeng, secretary-general of the Jamboree Organizing Committee, said that the Safe From Harm Team, which was dispatched from the WOSM, has conducted an investigation and concluded that the incident was caused by “cultural differences.” Choi and the Jamboree Committee didn’t elaborate on what the “cultural differences” were.
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