Lee Nak-yeon "Jamboree Previous Government Responsibility Theory, Desperately Pathetic"

Mention of Pyeongchang Olympics Held 9 Months After Moon's Inauguration
"There Was Plenty of Time During the Jamboree... National Embarrassment"

Former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon criticized the government over the 2023 Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree fiasco, saying it was "pitiful" to blame the previous administration.

On the 7th, Lee posted on Facebook, "I had assumed that the government and ruling party, who always blame the previous administration whenever problems arise, would not do so this time, but my assumption was wrong. It is pitiful to the point of despair," he said.

Lee recalled his experience preparing for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics when he served as Prime Minister. He explained, "Since my appointment as Prime Minister on May 31, 2017, I was always tense and closely monitored the Pyeongchang Olympics. The President focused on stopping North Korea's military provocations and encouraging the participation of North Korean athletes to hold the Olympics peacefully."

Former Lee Nak-yeon, former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea. [Image source=Yonhap News]

He continued, "I believed that everything that happened in Pyeongchang was the responsibility of the cabinet," adding, "I especially focused on coping with the severe cold, the success of the opening ceremony, and the eradication of avian influenza (AI). We quickly contained the AI that led to the culling of over 30 million chickens and ducks during the winter just before the Moon Jae-in administration took office. After the Pyeongchang Olympics, we maintained zero culling for two years and eight months."

Lee also recalled the thorough preparations made for the Olympics held during the severe cold. "There was a forecast that temperatures would drop to minus 17 degrees Celsius on the night of the opening ceremony. We even considered covering the main stadium, which had no roof, but gave up because adding a roof would cause the stadium to collapse," he said. "In the end, we installed windbreaks in the stadium, heaters in various seats, and provided blankets and cushions at each seat to overcome the cold."

Lee criticized the ruling party for raising responsibility issues by pointing out that the Jamboree was secured during the Moon Jae-in administration. "The Pyeongchang Olympics were held nine months after President Moon Jae-in took office and eight months after the cabinet was formed. We neither had time to blame the previous government nor did we blame them," he said.

He added, "This time, there was plenty of time. If they had studied the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in severe cold and the 2022 Qatar World Cup in extreme heat, the national embarrassment could have been avoided."

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