World Organization of the Scout Movement Criticizes Organizing Committee's Poor Management in Report
"Significant Deficiencies Found in Safety, Security, Transportation, Hygiene, and Various Operations"
"As the Korean government effectively assumed the role of the event organizer, the Korea Scout Association was marginalized."
The World Organization of the Scout Movement analyzed that the problems related to the Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree held in August last year in Buan-gun, Jeonbuk, were caused by the excessive involvement of the Korean government. The Korean government went beyond a sponsorship role and actively participated in event operation and planning, which reduced the Korea Scout Association's standing.
The campsite in Buan-gun, Jeonbuk, where the 2023 Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree was held. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The report also criticized the government's immature management system. In the '25th World Scout Jamboree Report' released on the 23rd, the World Organization of the Scout Movement pointed out, "The organizing committee, mainly composed of public officials, underwent several personnel changes, but proper handovers were not conducted during the process."
It also analyzed that the involvement of multiple ministries as leading departments made the organization inefficient. The World Organization of the Scout Movement stated, "Roles and responsibilities became unclear, the execution structure weakened, and there were miscommunications during the process," adding, "While acknowledging the Korean government's financial contributions, excessive involvement caused many structural problems." Previously, the organizing committee formed a government support committee under the '2023 Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree Support Special Act,' appointing the Prime Minister as the chairperson and the Ministers of Strategy and Finance, Education, and Gender Equality and Family as vice-chairpersons.
The report detailed the organizing committee's operational shortcomings. It pointed out significant defects in various areas such as safety, security, youth protection, medical support, meal requirements, hygiene, on-site movement, and weather response. Regarding safety, it emphasized the lack of any lighting on dark evening pathways.
Insufficient language support was also criticized. Although there were many participants using Arabic and Spanish, these languages were excluded from the guidance provided.
Furthermore, despite considerable time since the selection of the venue for the '2023 World Jamboree' in August 2017, preparations were inadequate. The report evaluated, "There was a clear gap between the blueprint shown by the Korean side during the bidding stage and the reality encountered at last year's event venue."
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