K-pop to the rescue? South Korea all-in for scout jamboree closing concert

Seoul: Tens of thousands of scouts danced, sang and waved glow sticks at a massive K-pop festival in Seoul on Friday, as South Korea sought to salvage a problem-plagued jamboree with "the power of Korean culture".

The quadrennial world jamboree gathered 43,000 scouts in North Jeolla province, but an unprecedented heatwave prompted mass illnesses, US and UK contingents left early amid reports of dire campsite conditions, and a tropical storm finally forced a full evacuation this week.

New Jeans perform during the "K-pop Super Live" concert. | The scouts were dispersed across the country and sent on government-sponsored cultural tours, but the "K-pop Superlive" concert - featuring major acts including NewJeans and The Boyz - reunited all the jamboree participants for a grand finale.

Tens of thousands of scouts in colourful uniforms and neckties, some wearing face paint and waving flags, filled Seoul's World Cup Stadium Friday.

The Boyz perform during the "K-pop Super Live" concert. | "The last few days have not been easy," said Ahmad Alhendawi, secretary-general of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, at the official closing ceremony ahead of the concert, adding to loud cheers that they had finally "reunited our jamboree".

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo told the scouts that he hoped "the cultural experiences you had in various parts of Korea... will remain as beautiful memories for you".

K-pop groups including HolyBang, The Boyz, ATBO (above) and The New Six - the latter wearing scout-themed costumes - then performed to rapturous applause from the mostly teenage scouts.

The scouts, many wearing colourful raincoats, could be seen singing along, dancing and enthusiastically waving glow sticks.

Some used their smartphones to capture the faces of the K-pop stars, with many celebrating wildly when the cameras zoomed in on their faces, projecting them on the big screen.

Holy Bang perform during the "K-pop Super Live" concert. | Traffic control in Sangam-dong, the district where the stadium is located in Seoul, began hours before the concert, resulting in serious congestion in the area. More than 1,000 buses carried scouts to the venue.

Seoul's culture ministry said all scouts were given photo cards of BTS as a gift, provided for free by the septet's agency, HYBE. The photo cards were said to have a total retail value of 800 million won ($600,000), according to local media.