[Insight & Opinion] "Blame Game" Over Saemangeum Jamboree: Responsibility Lies With Both Ruling and Opposition Parties

As expected, the ruling party and the main opposition party, the Democratic Party, which was previously in power, are engaged in a blame game over responsibility for the Saemangeum Jamboree. The social lesson or biblical verse that says "take responsibility rather than blaming others" seems like a distant story. For now, the government-led audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection has begun. The opposition insists that a National Assembly state audit is essential for objective verification and clarification. Although some members of the ruling party are hesitant, it seems necessary to resolve the off-site disputes that only escalate conflicts.

The issues will likely revolve around the roles of the central government and local governments during the preparation and hosting of the jamboree, the responsibilities of the organizing committee, the process of selecting the venue, the appropriateness of budget execution, and any corruption. According to the Saemangeum Jamboree Special Act, the organizing committee, which was in charge of preparing and hosting the event, is at the center. The Minister of Gender Equality and Family, the government department responsible for youth, and the local member of the National Assembly served as co-chairs of the organizing committee. At the end of February, the number of co-chairs was expanded to five by adding three more, aiming to strengthen the committee, but the consensus is that this had little effect and resulted only in a joint chair system lacking responsibility.

The Saemangeum Jamboree was a national international event embodying the hopes of the local community. Both the region and the nation share the outcomes and responsibilities. Controversies over the selection process of the venue and the role of local governments are inevitable. The Saemangeum dilemma, which was both a challenge and a breakthrough for regional development in Jeollabuk-do Province, was the background for the venue selection. Thus, the blame game between the ruling and opposition parties overlaps with issues involving the central government and the region.

The blame game between the ruling and opposition parties is not limited to this issue. Since the Yoon Suk-yeol administration took office, whenever there have been economic problems, construction safety issues, heating cost shocks, flood damages, or other incidents and controversies, some in the ruling party have said these were aftereffects left by the previous government. Of course, many of these remarks were made in response to the opposition party criticizing the Yoon administration. The Democratic Party, which tells others not to blame, also blamed the previous government during the Moon Jae-in administration when they were in power. They even attributed responsibility for their own major policy failures, such as worsening employment and real estate policies, to the limitations of the legacy left by the previous government. Of course, policy effects are not always immediate. Sometimes effects or aftereffects appear later. However, the issue of the Saemangeum Jamboree venue’s poor quality is not about policy evaluation but about administrative and duty responsibility.

Government-level responsibility for the Saemangeum Jamboree controversy naturally lies with the current Yoon Suk-yeol administration. The Yoon administration has been preparing and hosting the jamboree for over a year since taking office. It must take responsibility for the inadequate final inspection. At least the roles of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and related departments should be subject to verification. Although the World Jamboree is a national event, it is not a government-led event. The roles of the organizing committee, government departments, and local governments, which are the main promoters, must be examined. If there was a lack of preparation, negligence, or corruption during the four to five years of the Moon Jae-in administration, responsibility should naturally be held accountable. Ultimately, the opposition party cannot be exempt from responsibility simply by attacking the government. This is not a matter of ruling versus opposition parties. The public worried about international embarrassment, supported alternative programs, and there was some recovery effect. However, the president at the time of securing the event expressed regret that it was an event that lost national dignity and posted on social media that "since people were unprepared, even heaven did not help," as if it were someone else’s problem. Truly a peculiar person.

Kim Man-heum, Chair Professor at Hansung University, Former Director of the National Assembly Research Service

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