Park Jae-hyuk is a seasoned journalist who has provided comprehensive coverage of South Korea's corporate dynamics, economic policies, industry challenges and the global positioning of Korean companies. Based on the articles he has written since joining The Korea Times in 2016, his investigative approach has helped readers understand corporate governance, economic trends and business strategies shaping South Korea’s economy.
Workers at big conglomerates baffled by abrupt 'request' to accommodate Scouts
Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Lee Chang-yang, left, inspects a room at Hyundai Motor Group's training center in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. The facility was offered by the company to accommodate around 500 participants of the 25th World Scout Jamboree. Courtesy of Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy
By Park Jae-hyuk
By Park Jae-hyuk
The abrupt relocation of participants of the 25th World Scout Jamboree on Tuesday from the Saemangeum campsite in North Jeolla Province to lodgings in eight other regions around the country has not only confused public servants nationwide, but also drawn complaints from employees working at privately owned companies which have been drafted to offer their facilities.
Amid the efforts of domestic firms to minimize damage to Korea's reputation by offering an additional labor force, plus other basic necessities, due to the poor management of the global event, workers have been objecting to being forced to do tasks that are not relevant to their roles and responsibilities.
“We received a call from the presidential office on Monday night to prepare suitable accommodation, tourism programs and plans to transport the Scouts to the K-pop concert and the airport,” a GS E&C employee wrote on Blind, an anonymous chat forum app for verified employees. “After the abrupt request, my colleagues had to prepare tourism programs and put up tents for the Scouts.”
GS E&C employees put up tents on a football field at the company's training center in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday, for Scouts from Greece, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Zambia and Botswana. Courtesy of GS E&C
The government asked most major conglomerates to provide their training centers as shelters for the Scouts. As a result, Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor, LG, POSCO, Lotte, Korean Air, Kolon and major commercial banks vacated their facilities.
“Our company even canceled a training session,” a Korean Air employee wrote on Blind.
On Tuesday, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Lee Chang-yang also visited Hyundai Motor Group's training center in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, which accommodated 500 Jamboree participants.
“Finishing the Jamboree without additional problems is a matter of our country's reputation, so please serve the Jamboree participants faithfully so that they do not feel any inconvenience,” the minister told a Hyundai Motor employee.
In particular, local food firms faced complaints from their office workers.
When some Jamboree participants visited one of CJ Foodville's VIPS restaurant chains, the company reportedly sent some of its office workers to the family restaurant.
Ourhome, the company in charge of catering services as an official sponsor of the Jamboree, drew complaints from its employees after some of them were sent to Saemangeum, even though their job descriptions had no relevance to the Scout event.
When Samsung ordered 150 new employees to help volunteer workers clean up trash at the campsite, under the pretext of letting them learn about corporate social responsibilities, some internet users said that it was unreasonable to task private company workers with solving problems resulting from the government's mishandling of the event.
There is also speculation that domestic firms had no choice but to accept the government's request, so as to avoid tax probes or other possible disadvantages to their businesses.
Amid the growing complaints from private company employees, public servants and workers at state-run enterprises also complained about the Ministry of Economy and Finance's request to escort the Jamboree participants after Friday's K-pop concert in Seoul.
Namseoul University President Yoon Seung-yong also wrote on social media that the university in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, was abruptly asked to provide its dormitories for 800 participants from Sweden.
“Both central and municipal governments did not give us guidelines on how to give rooms to the participants, how to serve them meals and how to treat them during their stay,” he said.