Even Moon Joins the Battle... Jamboree Responsibility Debate Intensifies

Sentence "Apology as Former President" Message
Highlighting Ruling Party's Silence on 'Current Government Responsibility'

The conflict between the previous and current administrations over responsibility for the disruption of the Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree is intensifying. The ruling party raised accountability issues regarding the Moon Jae-in administration and Jeollabuk-do at the time of securing the event (August 2017), and in response, former President Moon himself issued a message, escalating the dispute.

On the 13th, former President Moon posted on his Facebook regarding the Jamboree incident, stating, "To the disappointed citizens, Scouts from around the world, residents of Jeollabuk-do, and sponsoring companies, I offer my apology and consolation as the president at the time of securing the event."

Although it takes the form of an apology, it is interpreted as a message targeting the ruling party that is effectively shifting responsibility to the previous administration. By expressing an apology first, former President Moon highlights the current government's responsibility and silence on the matter. He further criticized, saying, "We lost a lot because of the Saemangeum Jamboree," and "When people are unprepared, even heaven does not help."

Former President Moon Jae-in is paying his respects at the grave of composer Yun Isang, located at Tongyeong International Music Hall in Tongyeong City, Gyeongnam, on the afternoon of the 31st. March 31, 2023. [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 14th, both ruling and opposition parties clashed over former President Moon's remarks. The People Power Party sharpened their stance, calling it "a statement a former president should not make," while the Democratic Party of Korea criticized that "the ruling party does not mention the current government's responsibility at all."

People Power Party lawmaker Ha Tae-kyung criticized former President Moon's remarks in a BBS radio interview, saying, "He should have offered encouragement and support, but instead, he made remarks that belittle his own country," and added, "He seems unaware of the efforts to overcome the crisis after the latter part of the event. By criticizing the government, he disparaged the Republic of Korea."

He continued, "This is not something a former president should say," and pointed out that Jeollabuk-do bears the greatest responsibility, stating, "Local governments should show responsibility for local events."

On the other hand, Kim Han-gyu, the Democratic Party floor spokesperson, criticized on MBC radio, "At first, the ruling party did not want to deny that the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the main department in charge of the Jamboree, was responsible, but now they are trying to hide the government's involvement and create the perception that 'all execution responsibility lies with Jeollabuk-do.' The current government’s responsibility should naturally be acknowledged, but it is not mentioned at all."

Spokesperson Kim emphasized, "We (the previous administration) also believe that if there are mistakes, we should apologize, and former President Moon has already addressed those parts first," adding, "We do not hold the attitude that only the current government is at fault."

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