Jamboree Disruption, Setback in Saemangeum Project?..."Avoid Escalating Political Conflict"

Jeonbuk Civil Society "Jamboree Hosting Separate from Saemangeum"
Jung Seyeon "Saemangeum Project Important for Jeonbuk Development"

The Jeollabuk-do local community is opposing as the fallout from the World Scout Jamboree fiasco shows signs of spilling over into the Saemangeum area development project.

On the 21st, nine civic and social organizations in Jeollabuk-do, including the Jeollabuk-do Patriotic Headquarters, urged, "The People Power Party must immediately stop the political offensive against Saemangeum's social overhead capital (SOC) and apologize." In a joint statement, these groups pointed out, "The current situation shows that the political offensive blaming Jeolloree's failure has gone too far," and "It is deplorable to spread false information and shift the responsibility onto Jeollabuk-do."

The campsite in Buan-gun, Jeonbuk, where the 2023 Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree was held. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

The organizations stated, "The indiscriminate criticism by some members of the People Power Party distorts the image of Jeollabuk-do and Saemangeum," and warned, "If they continue trampling on the pride of the province’s residents by spreading false claims that the 'Jamboree was just a ploy to secure Saemangeum SOC budget,' we will hold them accountable in solidarity with 5 million patriotic residents and the Jeollabuk-do residents’ association in Seoul."

The Jeollabuk-do Provincial Government Employees’ Union also emphasized the need to distinguish between the Jamboree fiasco and the Saemangeum project. The union raised its voice regarding the Board of Audit and Inspection’s audit of Jeollabuk-do following the World Scout Jamboree fiasco, stating, "The audit should be limited to the Jamboree and must not be expanded to include Saemangeum."

The union added, "We do not want to engage in a blame game but will sincerely cooperate with the audit to clarify the facts and accept any justified criticism," while firmly opposing "linking the Jamboree hosting with SOC budgets such as the Saemangeum international airport and road construction."

The reason the local community is raising its voice is that the ruling party has announced a thorough investigation into the Saemangeum area SOC project following the Jamboree fiasco. This has raised concerns that the Saemangeum project could face setbacks.

Song Eon-seok, the ruling party’s floor leader on the National Assembly’s Budget and Accounts Committee, said at a party strategy meeting on the 11th, "Jeollabuk-do focused on using the Jamboree as an excuse to siphon off SOC budgets related to Saemangeum," adding, "The total of such budgets appears to approach 11 trillion won." He also stated, "Starting with this month’s budget review by the Budget and Accounts Committee, we will thoroughly investigate and hold accountable those responsible."

Former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun criticized the 'Jeollabuk-do responsibility theory' related to the Jamboree fiasco. At a press conference held at the Jeollabuk-do Provincial Assembly on the 21st, he said, "Jeollabuk-do should of course take responsibility where appropriate," but emphasized, "The blame for the fiasco should not be unfairly placed on Jeollabuk-do."

He continued, "Saemangeum is a project that has been ongoing for over 30 years," and said, "Many large corporations are currently entering Saemangeum, and it is developing into a future-oriented industrial complex. It is important to properly advance the project for the development of Jeollabuk-do."

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