Jeong Gyeong-hee "Jeonbuk to Host Jamboree to Cover Saemangeum Development Costs"
On the 13th, the People Power Party raised the issue of responsibility for the chaotic operation of the Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree, blaming the Moon Jae-in administration and Jeollabuk-do.
Yoo Sang-beom, the chief spokesperson of the People Power Party, stated in a commentary on the day, "Jeollabuk-do was the one who insisted on hosting the event in Saemangeum, and Jeollabuk-do claimed that it could 'resolve' issues such as drainage in the Saemangeum area, leading the government to agree to hold the event there." He added, "Over the following five years, the Moon administration and Jeollabuk-do failed to properly prepare foundational infrastructure such as land reclamation and drainage for the venue, as well as convenience facilities, resulting in the 'Jamboree fiasco.'"
Regarding the Democratic Party's claim of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's responsibility, Yoo criticized, "It is the Democratic Party, which views even international events as subjects of political strife, that the people will dismiss."
Jeong Kyung-hee, the People Power Party's secretary of the National Assembly's Women and Family Committee, raised the responsibility of Jeollabuk-do more specifically during a press conference. Jeong said, "The Saemangeum Jamboree was flawed from the very first step of site selection," and claimed, "Jeollabuk-do's ulterior motive was to use the Saemangeum Jamboree as a convenient hostage to cover the costs of Saemangeum development."
She added, "Whether the Jamboree campsite was flooded or the land subsided, the Moon administration and Jeollabuk-do seemed uninterested from the start," and "Jeollabuk-do appeared to have no concern for the fundamental success of the Jamboree." She criticized, "They only focused on using the Jamboree as an excuse to accelerate and increase the budget for regional social overhead capital (SOC) projects." Jeong pointed out, "There are claims that the budget pulled in under the pretext of the Jamboree for SOC projects approaches as much as 11 trillion won," explaining, "SOC projects such as the Saemangeum New Port costing 3.2 trillion won, the Saemangeum-Jeonju expressway at 1.9 trillion won, and connecting roads within the Saemangeum area at 1.1 trillion won, ranging from hundreds of billions to trillions of won, were labeled with the 'Jamboree tag' to demand budgets." She noted, "Most of these projects are still under construction or planned even after the Jamboree has ended."
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