[2022 National Audit] "Moon Administration Risked Local Bonds to Host Seoul-Pyongyang Olympics"

Assemblywoman Baek Hyun-jin Urges Audit of 'Joint Olympic Bid Proposal' Violating North Korea Sanctions
"Submitted Bid Proposal Two Months After Receiving 'No' Letter from IOC"
"Budget of 22.6 Trillion Won Used for North Korea... Includes Pyongyang Urban Redevelopment Plan"
"Key Ministries Leading the Effort Have No Records of Communication with North Korea in the Past Five Years"

Rep. Baek Hyun-jin (People Power Party) pointed out the Moon Jae-in administration's '2032 Seoul-Pyongyang Joint Olympic Bid Proposal,' which violated UN Security Council sanctions on North Korea, and called for an audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection.

At the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee hearing on the 5th, Rep. Baek criticized the Moon administration for submitting a joint bid proposal two months after receiving a rejection notice from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in February last year. He said, "The IOC sent a letter to our government stating that 'we contacted North Korea regarding the Seoul-Pyongyang joint bid, but received no response, making the bid uncertain and therefore not possible.' I am curious about the reason for submitting the bid proposal again."

The proposal was hurriedly delivered six days before the election of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon. It contained a unilateral plan for support to North Korea, which sparked controversy. This so-called '22 trillion won scale SOC support plan including North Korean urban redevelopment and highway construction' was included. Rep. Baek criticized, "It was promoted as a 'cost-saving Olympics,' but the North Korean stadiums are so dilapidated that they cannot be used," adding, "The proposal mainly consists of a budget where 80% (22.6 trillion won) is spent entirely on North Korea for infrastructure development." He emphasized, "There are also mentions of issuing local bonds if funds are insufficient, so rather than cost-saving, it was a plan requiring astronomical expenses."

In fact, the proposal specified infrastructure necessary for hosting the Olympics, such as highways, high-speed railways, power transmission lines, and 5G networks. It also included a plan for urban redevelopment in Pyongyang under the pretext of creating an Olympic Village. Rep. Baek raised suspicions, saying, "When the Moon administration faced difficulties in providing construction support due to North Korean sanctions, did they try to circumvent sanctions by using the Olympics to support North Korea?"

This was not even agreed upon with North Korea. According to materials from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Seoul City disclosed by Rep. Baek that day, the main ministries promoting the Olympics had no communication with North Korea in the past five years (2017?2021). However, the bid proposal described North Korea as a "country safe from terrorism" and emphasized "guaranteeing safety."

Rep. Baek pointed out, "The Moon administration's perception of North Korea as a safe country is unrealistic, given North Korea's continued military provocations such as missile launches recently." He then requested, "Please conduct a comprehensive review of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's North Korea support projects over the past five years and carry out an audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection regarding the circumstances of the bid proposal." Minister Park Bo-gyun of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism responded, "We will carefully examine the relevant matters and carry out the audit."