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Ruling party shifts blame to local gov't over Jamboree fiasco
Pallets used to keep Scouts' tents off the wet ground remain stacked at the venue of the 2023 World Scout Jamboree in Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province, Aug. 8, after all participants were evacuated to various parts of the country prior to the arrival of Typhoon Khanun. Yonhap
By Jun Ji-hye
'The party will gain nothing by demonizing the region'
By Jun Ji-hye
The ruling People Power Party (PPP) is facing criticism even from its own party members for attempting to shift the blame for mismanagement of the 25th World Scout Jamboree to the government of North Jeolla Province where the campsite was located.
The conservative governing party is playing the blame game apparently to defend the central government against a very high-profile controversy over a lack of preparation for the world's largest international youth camp.
Critics say the party's buck-passing is inappropriate and excessive, given that a special law, which was enacted in December 2018 to facilitate the successful hosting of the Jamboree event, clearly stipulates the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has the final say in relation to the planning and execution of projects for the event.
The quadrennial event kicked off on Aug. 1 in Saemangeum, a reclaimed tidal flat in North Jeolla Province, for a 12-day run, bringing together over 40,000 young Scouts and adult volunteers from more than 150 countries. But it faced severe criticism internationally for a lack of preparations and sanitary issues amid the scorching heat wave gripping the country.
The U.K. and U.S. delegations as well as the participants from Singapore decided on an early departure from the campsite, citing health risks posed to the participants. The remaining participants were later evacuated to various parts of the country due to safety concerns ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Khanun.
The leadership of the PPP already vowed to look into the careless management of finances by the North Jeolla Province government, claiming it ruined the event and wasted some of the large budget.
In particular, the party accused the local government of using the Jamboree event to push for the construction of various economic overhead facilities such as a new airport in the region, while neglecting the hosting duties for the event.
“Nearly 11 trillion won ($8.2 billion) has been invested into projects to construct a new airport, seaport and highways for the Saemangeum region under the name of boosting convenience of the Jamboree participants,” Rep. Song Eon-seog from the PPP said.
The lawmaker said the local government is believed to have “made bad use” of the event as a tool to secure a bigger budget for the construction of economic infrastructure in the region, considering that the main budget allocated for the event was 117.1 billion won.
But the excessive attack against the province drew criticism even from fellow PPP members.
Former PPP Chairman Lee Jun-seok pointed out that the conservative bloc has cited the Saemangeum reclamation project as one of its achievements in North Jeolla Province, which is considered the liberals' traditional home turf.
“The party will gain nothing by demonizing the region,” Lee wrote on Facebook.
He also said Busan, which is bidding to host the World Expo 2030, is following in the footsteps of the Saemangeum region, as the port city is investing trillions of won to construct a new airport and redevelop an old port area to serve as the event venue.
“Every region desperately wants to construct core infrastructure by hosting a large international event,” Lee wrote.
Lee Jung-hyun, former chairman of the Saenuri Party, a predecessor of the PPP, said he would leave the party if it keeps shifting all the responsibility for the Jamboree fiasco to the North Jeolla Province government.
“Every organization involved in the hosting of the event should take responsibility. And among them, the ruling party should hold the biggest responsibility,” he said.
North Jeolla Province Governor Kim Kwan-young speaks during a press conference at the provincial office, Monday. Yonhap
Meanwhile, North Jeolla Province Governor Kim Kwan-young, a member of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, broke his silence and began actively refuting claims made by the ruling party.
During a press conference, Monday, he said he felt responsible as the head of the region that hosted the event, but various projects involving the Saemangeum region began long before the country's hosting of the Jamboree event was decided.
“I will condone no more attempts to disgrace people in North Jeolla Province,” he said, urging the central government and the ruling party to focus on thoroughly analyzing the shortfalls revealed in the event and find out what the country can learn from it.