"Open the Toilet Lid to Check for Feces" Officials Angry at Jamboree Mobilization

"Gaepan Obun Jeon"... Demand Delivery and Boycott Announcement

The ‘25th Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree’ held in Buan, Jeonbuk, has been embroiled in controversy due to inadequate event preparations, and it has become a subject of debate after it was revealed that local government officials from nearby municipalities were mobilized to clean pit toilets.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is inspecting the response situation at the Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree site in Buan, Jeonbuk, on the afternoon of the 6th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 5th, a notice presumed to have been written by a union official of Jeonbuk regional government employees was posted on an online community. According to the notice, government officials from 14 cities and counties in Jeonbuk who were mobilized to support the Jamboree threatened to boycott if their demands were not addressed.

The notice stated, “We apologize to the union members who have to work on-site under hot weather and poor conditions,” and added, “We tried to meet with the organizing committee’s person in charge to request improvements regarding the inconveniences, but we could not meet them. The site I saw was, in a word, a complete mess. It was hard to believe that an international event could be held in such a state.”

[Image source=Online community capture]

It continued, “Yesterday, the province urgently mobilized officials from the provincial office, Buan, and Gimje to clean the toilets, but the labor union strongly protested and the plan was canceled,” and pointed out, “The toilets were not flush toilets but so-called pusae-style (traditional) toilets. To the foreign youths from 11 countries, it must have looked like a scene from Africa.”

This Jamboree had already suffered embarrassment from unsanitary toilets since the early days of the event. It is known that the checklist for toilet cleaning given to officials included items such as ‘open the toilet lid to check for feces’ and ‘remove yellow stains in the toilet bowl.’

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who visited the Jamboree venue from the 4th to oversee the site in person, reportedly instructed the organizing committee officials, “Today, I also flushed the toilet when someone hadn’t and wiped off the stains. Those who have served in the military must have cleaned toilets as privates. Don’t just think about making others do it; clean it yourself.”

The union also raised issues with the organizing committee, including ‘no staff rest area (employees must find shade on their own to rest),’ ‘improvised orders on-site different from pre-agreed tasks,’ ‘walking from the welcome center to the work site (no personal vehicle use; some employees walked for 40 minutes),’ ‘frequent disputes or confusion due to task division among organizing committee managers,’ and ‘inadequate meal arrangements.’

They stated, “We have informed that if there is no response to these issues by tomorrow (the 6th), all 14 cities and counties in Jeonbuk will boycott starting from the 7th,” and added, “We will keep you updated on the progress.”

[Image source=Online community capture]

Meanwhile, on the same day, an official document requesting manpower support from Jeonbuk local government officials was shared, conveying the hard work of the officials.

The document stated, “Due to a shortage of maintenance personnel within the Jamboree site, facilities such as showers and toilets are in poor condition,” and “We request manpower support from each city and county as follows to inspect and maintain the facilities.” The requested support personnel totaled 600, with 100 each from Jeonju, Gunsan, Iksan, Gimje, Buan, and Gochang.

A netizen presumed to be a current government official revealed, “The boycott was by employees from the 14 cities and counties, but the provincial office staff are still working in shifts from 4:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m., checking the toilet conditions.”

According to the Jamboree organizing committee’s tally, the number of cleaning personnel for toilets and shower rooms increased from the original 70 to 894, and the frequency of cleaning was also expanded. Additionally, 62 portable toilets were newly installed.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.