Minister Sang-min Lee: "Jamboree Showcased South Korea's Crisis Response Capability"

First Press Briefing After Returning to Work
"Not Self-Praise, But No Need for Stingy Evaluation"
"Meeting with Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Failed Due to Families' Refusal"

Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min recently evaluated the World Scout Jamboree held last month in Saemangeum, stating, "While it is not something to boast about, there is no need to be stingy in acknowledging that it was successfully completed." Although there were some shortcomings at the beginning of the Jamboree, the view is that the event was well concluded after the central government's intervention.

Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min is giving a greeting at the press corps meeting held at the Government Sejong Complex in Sejong City on the afternoon of the 7th. Photo by Yonhap News

At a press briefing held on the 7th at the Central Government Complex in Sejong, Minister Lee responded to the question, "How do you evaluate the Jamboree?" by saying, "It is true that things changed significantly once the government began full support under the president's special directive."

He added, "There were many shortcomings in the start and preparation of the Jamboree," and said, "When I first visited the Saemangeum site after returning to work, there were indeed many concerning aspects."

Previously, Minister Lee had his duties suspended after an impeachment motion was passed in the National Assembly in February, holding him responsible for the Itaewon tragedy. However, following the Constitutional Court's dismissal of the impeachment, he returned to work on July 25, after 167 days.

Minister Lee explained that although the Ministry of the Interior and Safety pointed out several issues before the Jamboree, many were not implemented. He said, "The Ministry delivered 110 points of concern through the first and second inspection meetings and subsequently recommended over 100 additional points to the organizing committee. However, a significant portion was not carried out." He added cautiously, "Since an audit on responsibility is ongoing, it is difficult to comment," and explained, "The Ministry of the Interior and Safety was not in a position to lead the execution of these points. The authority to lead execution, including budget control, was held by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and Jeollabuk-do Province."

Minister Lee emphasized that the Jamboree served as a major lesson for future international events, including the '2030 Busan Expo.' He particularly highlighted that the event was successfully concluded thanks to the participation of the public. He also stressed that despite Typhoon Khanun approaching, accommodations for 40,000 Jamboree participants were arranged within a day, and a K-pop concert was held three days later. He evaluated, "The Jamboree showcased South Korea's crisis response capabilities," adding, "The united strength demonstrated by educational institutions, companies, religious groups, local governments, and the public through their passion, support, and assistance helped overcome the challenges."

Regarding the approximately 15 billion KRW spent by local governments nationwide to manage the Jamboree disruption, he stated, "It is principle to reimburse these costs with national funds," and added, "The settlement will be completed before Chuseok."

Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min is giving a greeting at the press corps meeting held at the Government Sejong Complex in Sejong City on the afternoon of the 7th. Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, concerning the Itaewon tragedy, which is approaching its first anniversary, Minister Lee explained that although continuous meetings with the bereaved families have been pursued, they have not materialized due to the families' refusal. He said, "Immediately after the tragedy, I wanted to meet the bereaved families to offer condolences and proposed meetings several times through Ministry staff and support teams, but these were canceled due to the families' refusal."

He acknowledged that there seems to be a "wall" between the government and the bereaved families. Although the government wants to reach out to the victims and their families, even arranging meetings is difficult, which makes the situation challenging. Minister Lee said, "It is most important to honor the victims' dignity, establish memorial spaces to remember them, and ensure that their sacrifice leads to meaningful safety awareness. I want to prioritize these three things, but realistically, it feels like there is a 'wall'."

Regarding the deletion of the political neutrality clause from the charter of the Federation of Freedom and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's approval of this, he said, "The Federation of Freedom, the National Movement for Saemaul Undong, and the Council for the Promotion of Right Living are legally prohibited from engaging in election campaigns," adding, "We will monitor whether these three organizations violate political neutrality and ensure there are no public concerns."

About the major organizational restructuring carried out on the 4th, he explained that to accelerate the government's digital platform government initiative, the Digital Government Bureau was reorganized into the Digital Government Office, a new vice minister position was created to lead the local era, and the disaster management division was restructured according to the prevention-preparedness-response-recovery process.

Regarding personnel changes, he explained, "Due to the nature of the bureaucratic organization, personnel appointments have traditionally been based on seniority. To create a vibrant and dynamic Ministry of the Interior and Safety, we made bold personnel changes." He added, "I hope the Ministry's efforts will spread to other government organizations."

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