Jamboree Responsibility, Only Jeollabuk-do to Blame?… Some Ruling Party Members Say "Immediate Resignation"

Lee Jung-hyun "Really angry... Ruling party bears greater responsibility"
Cheon Ha-ram "Cannot shift blame to avoid central government accountability"
Lee Jun-seok, current government spends more on Jamboree budget execution

As voices in the ruling party increasingly hold Jeollabuk-do responsible for the poor preparation of the World Scout Jamboree, candidates for the upcoming general election who have established strongholds in the Honam region have pushed back.

Lee Jung-hyun, Vice Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Local Autonomy and representing Suncheon, Jeollanam-do, expressed his frustration on KBS Radio on the 14th, saying, "I am really angry" at the People Power Party's stance of blaming the Jamboree fiasco solely on Jeollabuk-do. He raised his voice, stating, "If such a comment is the party line, I will resign from the party today."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The leadership of the People Power Party is wielding criticism against the Democratic Party, led by Jeollabuk-do, over the mismanagement of the Jamboree. Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, posted on Facebook the previous day, "Despite the poor preparation by the current and former Jeollabuk-do governors affiliated with the Democratic Party, who were responsible for the actual site and budget execution, the event was successfully concluded thanks to the concentrated support from the central government including the President, and the active participation of private companies and citizens." Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party, also said at an on-site supreme council meeting held in Wonju, Gangwon Province, "The Democratic Party, which insisted on hosting the Jamboree in Saemangeum, which had not even been reclaimed, the Moon Jae-in administration that wasted five out of six years of preparation, and Jeollabuk-do, which executed the budget and handled the organizing committee's practical work ? even a brief look at the situation shows that the Democratic Party bears much heavier responsibility." Yoo Sang-beom, chief spokesperson, also said on MBC Radio that "the primary responsibility naturally lies with Jeollabuk-do." Jeon Ju-hye, floor spokesperson, stated in a commentary the day before, "Jeollabuk-do, which exercised actual authority over various budget executions and contract signings but now claims no responsibility, and the Moon Jae-in administration, which says it is not concerned, have kicked away even a shred of conscience."

In response, Vice Chairman Lee said, "If there is responsibility, the ruling party's responsibility is even greater," adding, "How can you talk as if there is a problem with local autonomy, or as if the people of Honam, or Jeonnam and Jeonbuk, are at fault?" He continued, "If that is truly the party line, I do not want to remain in such a party even today. Mistakes can happen, and everyone can make errors, but overcoming them is how we develop together. I don't know whose mouth in the ruling party said such things, but how can they say this?"

He questioned, "The event just ended, and now we are supposed to inspect the entire system. So why do they set coordinates in advance, fire the first shot there, and then try to find the problem?" He added, "No one should feel ashamed, and no one should boast loudly. It is not solely Jeonbuk's responsibility, nor anyone's alone."

Former Saenuri Party leader Lee Jung-hyun is being interviewed by Asia Economy on the 8th. / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

Cheon Ha-ram, chairman of the Suncheon Gap district party committee, also criticized in a phone interview that day, "If there were politicians and bureaucrats who were only interested in the spoils and not the Jamboree itself, then that part should be criticized, but honestly, what crime did the Jeollabuk-do officials or citizens who executed orders commit?" He said, "It is wrong to generalize this as a problem of the entire Jeolla region."

Cheon added, "What is wrong with pursuing regional development by hosting an international event? The Pyeongchang Olympics improved the transportation network in Gangwon Province, and the Yeoju Expo improved transportation in that area," he explained.

Interview_ Cheon Haram, People Power Party Presidential Candidate. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

He emphasized, "It is not appropriate to criticize only Jeollabuk-do and the entire Jeolla region when central ministries such as the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety jointly served as co-organizing chairs. The President even attended the Jamboree opening ceremony, so it should not become a form of blaming only Jeollabuk-do to evade responsibility of the central ministries."

Former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok also claimed that the current administration spent much more on the project than the previous government. On Facebook that day, Lee explained, "The total Jamboree project cost was 117 billion won. Of this, the organizing committee, chaired jointly by three central ministers including the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, spent 87 billion won, and Jeollabuk-do spent 26 billion won. So, the Yoon Seok-yeol administration spent 101.5 billion won from 2022 to 2023, while the amount spent up to 2021 was 15.65 billion won."

Lee pointed out, "In several posts I wrote today, I never said 'the Jamboree is President Yoon Seok-yeol's fault,' yet some people equate telling others not to oversimplify the issue as blaming President Yoon. This might be the core of all problems."

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