“There were warnings about the jamboree three years ago... They insisted on the venue intent on land reclamation”

On August 8, when participants of the Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree were scheduled to withdraw from the camp as part of an emergency evacuation plan due to the approach of Typhoon No. 6 Khanun, Scouts from overseas pack their things at the Saemangeum campsite in Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do. Buan / Jo Tae-hyeong

Three years ago, there were also voices against holding the 2023 World Scout Jamboree in the Saemangeum mudflat. The people criticized that the central and local governments unreasonably insisted on holding the jamboree in an inappropriate place just to fill the tidal flat.

Oh Dong-pil, director of the Saemangeum Citizens’ Ecological Survey Group, appeared on Feel the News with Kim Hye-yeong on CPBC radio on the evening of August 7 and said, “We distributed a lot of press releases three years ago telling them to stop tricking the people by using the jamboree as an excuse to reclaim land and arguing that Saemangeum was not an adequate site for the jamboree.” He also recalled that many agencies shared and voiced the opinion that Saemangeum was not an appropriate site for the jamboree. Oh has been opposing the reclamation since 2003 when the Saemangeum reclamation project was launched.

Oh said, “We’ve been to many reclamation sites, so we know exactly how the reclaimed land becomes a marsh whenever it rains and how tough it can be due to the steam that rises under the scorching sun in midsummer,” and argued that the government probably selected the site from their desks without any idea of what the situation on reclaimed land was like in a heatwave.

He continued and pointed out that the environment was substandard because the central and local governments rushed to fill the land using the jamboree as an excuse. Oh said, “When preparing the jamboree site, they (central and local governments) spent the Farmland Management Fund insisting that they had to hurry and reclaim the land because of the jamboree,” and argued, “The Farmland Management Fund is supposed to be used for creating farmland, but they resorted to expedient means and spent the money using the jamboree as an excuse, expecting to get an indulgence. That’s why they kept insisting that the location was fine.”

The civic group leader said, “Numerous related agencies and NGOs said that if they really wanted to host a successful jamboree, then they shouldn’t hold it here,” and added, “I think this was a man-made disaster.”

He also emphasized the importance of mudflats. Oh said, “If the Saemangeum mudflat was alive in its normal state when the jamboree was held, just think of how many fun programs they could have conducted here. Saemangeum is a place where such exciting activities can be conducted, and it is also a very important place ecologically.” He continued and said, “Even now, they have reduced the amount of seawater to extreme levels killing many creatures on a massive scale. I hope this jamboree can provide an opportunity to examine the Saemangeum issue in depth and reflect on our actions.”