Lee Won-taek "Shin Won-sik's Conspiratorial View... Jamboree is a Non-political Event"

Regarding the withdrawal of a scout troop from Jeonbuk due to sexual crime issues, Rep. Shin Won-sik of the People Power Party raised suspicions of a 'political background,' which Rep. Lee Won-taek of the Democratic Party criticized as "a completely unrelated story and a conspiracy theory perspective."

On the 7th, Rep. Lee said on CBS's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' "The World Youth Jamboree is a non-political event."

Rep. Shin, on his social media the day before, expressed hope that it was not true but raised suspicions of opposition party involvement, saying, "If the opposition party intervened in the absurd early withdrawal decision of the Jeonbuk Federation for political purposes targeting next year's general election, the people will never forgive it."

In response, Rep. Lee said, "Rather than political acts, it is very important for the political circles and the government to support the success of this event itself. Claiming that there is some political background behind this is a very wrong assertion and practically impossible. From the Democratic Party's perspective, there might be a desire to visit the site, but if such a request comes to me, I have been rejecting it all."

He added, "(The Jamboree) is a non-political event, so political acts should not be conducted. And support should be given behind the scenes, not dragging this into the middle of political strife," adding, "For six days, the political circles and the government should help ensure the event concludes successfully."

Regarding the sexual crime controversy that caused the Jeonbuk scout troop's withdrawal, he said, "We are in the process of verifying the facts. Since I have not yet confirmed all the facts accurately, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on this today," but added, "However, if those facts are true, I believe active countermeasures are necessary."

As the Jamboree disruption worsened, some scouts came to Seoul to follow a separate schedule. Rep. Lee expressed concern, saying, "We are somewhat disappointed because there are about 170 prepared programs here," and "if improvements and measures against the heatwave are supplemented and field activities are conducted, it should be fine, but if that collapses, the fundamental purpose of Jamboree Day is completely undermined."

He continued, "I think it is inappropriate for the government to interfere with the programs while providing support," adding, "The programs are managed by experts from the World Organization of the Scout Movement and the Korea Scout Association, so their opinions should be respected."

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