Korean Jamboree committee received $2mn in donations, addition to sponsorships

2023 SaeManGeum World Scout Jamboree site in North Jeolla Province, South Korea. [Photo by Lee Seung-hwan]

The South Korean organizing committee for the 2023 SaeManGeum World Scout Jamboree has been found to have received 2.9 billion won ($2.16 million) in donations from the private and public entities, in addition to the 12.7 billion won obtained as sponsorship funds.

According to data obtained by Representative Cho Eun-hee of the People Power Party from the Jamboree organizers on Sunday, the committee received a combined 2.8 billion won in donations, both in cash and in-kind, from 10 companies and public institutions before the event.

The largest in-kind donation came from Samsung Electronics Co, valued at 1.9 billion won. Other contributors included NH Nonghyup Bank at 430 million won, Hanwha Group at 300 million won and LIG Nexon at 30 million won.

Among public contributors were Korea Rural Community Corp., Saemangeum Development Corp., Korea Expressway Corp., and Jeonbuk Development Corp. The donors are all tied to the projects for social overhead capital (SOC) in SaeManGeum.

“North Jeolla Province is accused of leveraging the Jamboree event to secure the SaeMangGum SOC budget, prompting related public institutions to donate funds as a form of manipulation,” critics said.

However, North Jeolla Governor Kim Kwan-young denied the allegations.

Unlike sponsorships, donations lack distinct categorization, making it challenging to discern their allocation. Sponsorships are segmented into areas like catering, rental, and mapping services, which provide insight into the sponsored services.

Even after the initial donations, more companies contributed in-kind donations after the Jamboree event began as part of support to overcome issues surrounding heat and hygiene.

Amid controversies over mal-preparation, 44 in-kind donations were made by companies between August 4 and 7. The contributions continued until August 8, when Typhoon Khanun forced early crew evacuation.

During the period, business groups including Hyundai Motor, SK, LG, GS, and LS supplied various items. Samsung Electronics, the largest pre-event donor, provided ionized water, while LG dispatched refrigerated trucks and mobile phone charging stations. Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. donated portable toilets.

Critics highlighted that the organizers had to rely on corporate support for critical services like toilets, electricity, and heatwave accommodations.

Bottled water was the most common corporate contribution, with a total of 926,240 bottles provided during the period. Considering the organizers only readied an additional 130,000 water bottles for the heatwave, companies played a vital role in supplying essential items.