Rival parties blame one another for Jamboree fiasco

In the aftermath of the problem-plagued World Scout Jamboree, the Democratic Party on Sunday called on President Yoon Suk Yeol to issue an apology, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to resign and the National Assembly to investigate the event’s organizers.

Democratic Party Rep. Kim Yun-duck, co-chair of the Jamboree organizing committee, bows during a press conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Sunday to apologize for the mismanagement of the 25th World Scout Jamboree. [YONHAP]

In the aftermath of the problem-plagued World Scout Jamboree, the Democratic Party (DP) on Sunday called on President Yoon Suk Yeol to issue an apology, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to resign and the National Assembly to investigate the event’s organizers.

During a press conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, Rep. Kim Sung-ju, senior deputy chair of the DP’s Policy Committee, argued that the Jamboree was a symbolic event highlighting Yoon’s absence of competence, strategy and responsibility.

“The president must first apologize,” Kim said a day after the 25th World Scout Jamboree officially came to an end. “As the honorary president of the Korea Scout Association, the president needs to take full responsibility and offer a sincere apology to the public, worldwide participants of the Jamboree and their parents.”

Regarding the prime minister, who held the position of the chairperson of the Jamboree event’s Government Support Committee, Kim denounced him for not functioning as the “command tower,” saying he failed to take charge during the Itaewon and Osong tragedies as well.

“The ruling party is placing the responsibility on the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, but that ministry will be abolished anyway, so Prime Minister Han Duck-soo should be held accountable,” Kim said.

Concerning reports of an imminent investigation by the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) into the Jamboree organizers, Kim stated that the National Assembly should be in charge of the matter since the BAI is perceived to be subservient to the president.

“The National Assembly must conduct a parliamentary investigation to determine the accountability of the government, the organizing committee and the North Jeolla provincial government,” Kim argued. “Learning from the lessons of the Jamboree failure, it is crucial to uncover accountability to ensure a smooth process for hosting the Busan Expo without obstacles.”

For days, Korean lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have been wrangling over who to blame for the disastrous preparations of the Jamboree after the event made domestic and international headlines for unsanitary conditions at the campsite, terrible food and a critical lack of heat-reducing measures amid a heat wave.

Nearly 40,000 scouts from over 150 countries eventually evacuated from the barren campgrounds of Saemangeum in Buan County, North Jeolla, as a powerful typhoon was projected to pass by.

The liberal DP, which is currently in opposition to the Yoon administration, has accused Yoon and his government as the chief culprits of the fiasco.

Yoon’s conservative People Power Party (PPP), on the other hand, has blamed the North Jeolla provincial government for mishandling Jamboree funds provided by the central government. The PPP is also pointing fingers at the former liberal Moon Jae-in administration for failing to prepare the necessary infrastructure at Saemangeum, mentioning the fact that Korea was chosen as the host of the Jamboree in August 2017, during Moon’s term.

In a separate press conference at the National Assembly on Sunday, DP Rep. Kim Yun-duck, co-chair of the Jamboree organizing committee, suggested a parliamentary investigation into the event while accusing the prime minister’s office of seeking to sacrifice lower-level public officials to cover up its own mistakes.

The Jamboree co-chair apologized to the public and the scouts for “disappointing” them, saying that the mayhem was caused by “ignorance about the scouts, as well as incompetence and indifference during the preparation process.”

In a Facebook post on Sunday, Kim Gi-hyeon, floor leader of the PPP, argued that it was the Yoon administration that salvaged the Jamboree from being a total wreck due to the North Jeolla government office and DP lawmakers.

During a National Assembly press conference the same day, PPP Rep. Chung Kyung-hee accused the North Jeolla government office of “deceiving the public” by exploiting state funds under the guise of the Jamboree.

BY LEE SUNG-EUN [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]