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Troubled World Scout Jamboree wraps up with K-pop concert
Scouts participating in the 25th World Scout Jamboree enjoy the “K-Pop Super Live” concert at Seoul World Cup Stadium, Friday. Yonhap
By Jun Ji-hye
Questions remain over who should be held responsible for Jamboree fiasco
By Jun Ji-hye
The 25th World Scout Jamboree that kicked off on Aug. 1 in Saemangeum, a reclaimed tidal flat in North Jeolla Province, is set to close its much-troubled 12-day run on Saturday.
The closing ceremony and K-pop concert held on Friday night at Seoul World Cup Stadium marked the last official scheduled event of the world's largest international youth camp, according to the organizing committee.
Girl group NewJeans performs at the “K-Pop Super Live” concert that was held after the closing ceremony of the 25th World Scout Jamboree at Seoul World Cup Stadium, Friday. Yonhap
Over 40,000 Scouts and adult volunteers will then head to their home countries or stay a few more days in Korea to participate in further tours and cultural programs.
Before the start of the quadrennial event, all of the related parties, including the organizing committee, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the provincial office of North Jeolla Province, said they were fully prepared to host the global youth event. Expectations were that the event would serve as an opportunity to showcase Korea's culture and advanced technologies to the world.
But it was not long before international outcry from participants and their parents overseas became widely heard. The extent of the poor planning and unpleasant conditions became widely known within its first two days, during which hundreds of participants suffered heat-related illnesses amid the scorching heat wave gripping the country.
Complaints also mounted over shortages of sanitary facilities as well as sanitation problems.
As a result, the 4,400-member U.K. delegation announced on Aug. 4 its decision to exit the campsite, citing health risks posed to the teenagers. The 1,500-member U.S. delegation and the participants from Singapore followed suit shortly after.
The central government has since taken an active part in the management of the event, expressing its willingness to continue the event and complete it successfully. President Yoon Suk Yeol called for all-out efforts to ensure sanitation at the campsite and asked for special care against any further problems, such as food poisoning amid the continued heat wave.
Despite such efforts, all remaining participants at the campsite ― about 37,000 ― began leaving the Jamboree venue on Tuesday, four days ahead of their initial schedule due to safety concerns posed by Typhoon Khanun that passed through the Korean Peninsula on Thursday.
Pallets used to keep Scouts' tents off the wet ground remain stacked at the waterlogged venue of the 25th World Scout Jamboree in Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province, Friday, a day after Typhoon Khanun passed through the province. Yonhap
The participants were scattered throughout 128 lodgings in Seoul and seven other regions across the country and have continued participating in alternative programs offered by regional governments.
The government then turned to K-pop's global popularity as its remaining hope. To change the minds of the Jamboree participants disappointed by the fiasco and restore the country's reputation as a reliable host for large-scale international events, it fully supported the “K-Pop Super Live” concert featuring a total of 19 K-pop acts, including NewJeans, IVE and NCT Dream.
Boy band The New Six performs at the “K-Pop Super Live” concert that was held after the closing ceremony of the 25th World Scout Jamboree at Seoul World Cup Stadium, Friday. Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
The organizing committee said Scouts from the U.S., U.K and Singapore who left the campsite early also participated in the closing ceremony and K-pop concert.
“We created a seven-minute video clip showing some 40,000 Scouts pitching their tents at the Jamboree venue at the beginning and being eventually relocated to eight other regions due to the typhoon,” the organizing committee said in a release. “We expect this will offer the participants a chance to feel a sense of accomplishment as they have overcome difficulties together.”
U.K. Scouts visit the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul, Friday. Yonhap
What went wrong
The ruling People Power Party (PPP) vowed, also on Friday, to find out where the responsibility for the Jamboree fiasco lies.
“We will examine the lack of preparations and other problems raised during the event as soon as possible, as many people have been concerned about the topic,” PPP floor leader Yun Jae-ok said during a party meeting at the National Assembly.
The party has pointed its finger at the North Jeolla Province government as well as the Buan County office, claiming that they ruined the event even with large budgets allocated.
The party said it will inspect for careless management of finances by these local governments.
Still, the party acknowledged that the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family ― which holds the main authority among the central government organizations ― is not immune from accountability, either.
“Nobody can deny the fact that the gender ministry was not ready for the event,” PPP Chairman Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon said.
Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min, left, and Gender Equality and Family Minister Kim Hyun-sook attend a government emergency response meeting on the 25th World Scout Jamboree at the Government Complex in Seoul, Friday. Yonhap
Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, a third-term lawmaker of the PPP, stressed that President Yoon should dismiss one of the ministers who is believed to assume the biggest responsibility. Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min, Gender Equality and Family Minister Kim Hyun-sook and Culture Minister Park Bo-gyoon are co-chairs of the organizing committee.
“The government should hold a responsible minister in check, if it wants to reduce the possibility of various lawsuits to be filed by those who were disappointed by the event,” Ahn said.