"Not Even Drained Yet"... Controversy Over Awards for Jamboree Infrastructure Development Contributions

Promotion of Awards for Public Officials and Civilians in December Last Year
"Awards for Those Contributing to Infrastructure Development and More"

Jamboree participants withdrawing early
Photo by Yonhap News

Recently, the World Organization of the Scout Movement decided to withdraw early from the '2023 Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree' due to a typhoon, and it has come to light that Jeollabuk-do Province pushed for awards for public officials and civilians seven months ago for their contributions to the Jamboree infrastructure, sparking controversy.

According to the Chosun Ilbo on the 9th, the Jeonbuk Provincial Autonomous Administration Division planned to award the Governor's Commendation to four public officials and two civilians who participated in the construction of the Jamboree infrastructure last December. The '2022 Jamboree Infrastructure Construction Meritorious Public Officials Award Plan' prepared by Jeonbuk Province included provisions to reward public officials and civilians who actively contributed to the successful preparation of the Jamboree.

However, questions have been raised about whether it is appropriate to give awards under such circumstances, as Scouts from the UK, the US, and Singapore decided to leave early due to poor facilities at the Jamboree.

The Scouts participating in this Jamboree had to set up tents and live on stagnant water due to inadequate drainage facilities at the campsite. Additionally, many heatstroke cases occurred due to the heatwave, and there was controversy over price gouging at stores located within the Jamboree. Restrooms were not properly cleaned, causing dissatisfaction among participants, and moldy eggs were even distributed to the Scouts.

In response, Jeollabuk-do told the Chosun Ilbo, "We will organize our position after communicating with the responsible department," and it is not clearly known whether the awards for public officials and civilians were actually given.

Meanwhile, lawmakers from both the People Power Party and the Democratic Party requested Jeollabuk-do to submit 55 documents related to the Jamboree from the 2nd to the 8th. The requested documents included safety measures established by Jeonbuk Province, the total Jamboree budget, infrastructure installation contracts, and details of overseas business trips related to the Jamboree.

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