Local gov'ts burdened by labor costs due to Jamboree fiasco

Participants of the 25th World Scout Jamboree rest under a shade at a campsite in Saemangeum, a reclaimed tidal flat in North Jeolla Province, before getting on a bus to move to other parts of the country due to approaching Typhoon Khanun, Aug. 8. Newsis

Local governments paid over 400 million won ($294,000) to cover overtime labor costs for public servants mobilized to handle the fallout from the bungled World Scout Jamboree, which saw its participants evacuated from the campsite in August, earlier than scheduled, due to safety concerns, with the central government refusing to compensate the cost, an opposition lawmaker said, Wednesday.

According to the documents obtained by Rep. Yong Hye-in of the minor opposition Basic Income Party from the eight municipalities that received remaining participants upon the central government’s request, a total of 9,520 public servants nationwide were called on to perform tasks related to the Jamboree event. Among them, 5,811 worked overtime, creating 434.1 million won of overtime labor cost.

These eight municipalities include metropolitan governments of Seoul, Incheon, Sejong and Daejeon and provincial governments of Gyeonggi, North and South Chungcheong, and North Jeolla Provinces.

Although the central government compensated for the costs of accommodation and food the municipalities spent for Jamboree participants, the labor expenses for public servants who helped to amend the fiasco were not included in the compensation, the lawmaker explained.

The quadrennial event kicked off at Saemangeum, a recalimed land project in North Jeolla Province, on Aug. 1 with over 43,000 young Scouts and adult volunteers from over 150 countries.

However, the global event, which the Korean government prepared for six years with an allocated budget of 117.1 billion won, developed into a nightmare as the campsite lacked basic facilities and resources, while hundreds suffered exhaustion amid heat wave conditions and early evacuation due to the incoming Typhon Khanun.

As result, Seoul and seven other regions received about 37,000 remaining participants from 156 countries upon the request of the central government, Aug. 8, four days ahead of scheduled departure.

Public servants were mobilized to supervise the participants’ safety, clean and manage their accommodations, which included university dormitories, public institutions’ training centers and educational facilities, and prepare alternative programs until the event closed on Aug. 12.

The Ministry of Interior and Safety said it would later settle local governments’ food and accommodations expenditures jointly with the education and family ministries, which amounted nearly to 15 billion won.

However, the labor costs were never mentioned in the ministry’s announcement.

Some local governments, including the Seoul Metropolitan Government, requested the ministry to compensate for the overtime labor expenses but were unanswered by the ministry, according to the lawmaker’s office.

“This is a very bad example of how the central government cripples an international event with poor management and shifts the responsibility to pick up the pieces to local public servants,” the lawmaker said through a released statement.