What happened. Where did the money go?
https://m.koreatimes.co.kr/pages/article.asp?newsIdx=356611
The ongoing World Scout Jamboree is a major global event the Korean government had been preparing for over six years with an allocated budget of 117.1 billion won ($89 million).
AND
While lawmakers' thorough scrutiny is expected on the problem-plagued Jamboree and organizers' negligent management, recent revelations have already shed light on the botched priorities in budget expenditure in preparation for the quadrennial festival.
According to data provided by the North Jeolla Provincial Government, about 74 percent of the total 117.1 billion won, which amounts to about 87 billion won, was spent on the operation of the organizing committee. This includes spending for travel arrangements and a K-pop concert which is set to be held during the closing ceremony.
Just 23.5 billion won was spent building campsite infrastructure, including water and sewage systems, parking lots and cooling tunnels. Only 10 percent of the total spending, or 12.9 billion won, was used for the construction of showers, toilets and drinking water facilities at the campsite.
In the years leading up to the event, 15.6 billion won was spent in 2021 under the previous Moon Jae-in government, while 39.8 billion won and 61.7 billion won were used in 2022 and 2023, respectively. The incumbent Yoon Suk Yeol administration took office in May 2022.
Speculation is also emerging that government officials wasted the budget on business trips with no apparent relevance to the Jamboree.
According to data from the Ministry of Personnel Management, officials from related bodies including the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, North Jeolla Provincial Government and Buan County made some 100 overseas business trips over the last six years citing preparations for the Jamboree.
In May 2018, five provincial government officials went on an eight-day trip to Switzerland and Italy with the aim to study "successful management cases of the Jamboree event." But these European countries have never hosted a Jamboree.
In October 2019, four Buan County officials traveled to London and France for 10 days in preparation for the Jamboree. London has not hosted the quadrennial festival since the inaugural event was held there in 1920, and the last Jamboree hosted by France was in 1947 in Moisson.
Here's some more details:
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2023/08/07/national/socialAffairs/Korea-World-Scout-Jamboree-business-trips/20230807173928902.html
Broadly speaking, the trips found in the records can be divided into two categories. The first includes 54 trips related to securing the bid, mostly in the two years leading up to Saemangeum's final selection in 2017. The other trips were generally listed for the purpose of "exploration of advanced cultures" in preparation for hosting the event.
While seemingly legitimate at first glance, upon closer inspection, some of the details in the reports filed by officials appear questionable, including cruises and tours of overseas hotspots unrelated to the scouts.
In late May 2018, a group of five North Jeolla provincial officials took an eight-day business trip to Switzerland and Italy for the purpose of "interviewing key people and conducting case studies for the successful hosting of World Scout Jamboree events."
However, the only itinerary items related to the Jamboree were a meeting with the former chairman of the European Scout Region on the first day and a visit to the World Scout Centre, also known as the Kandersteg International Scout Centre, in the Swiss Alps on the second day.
However, the only itinerary items related to the Jamboree were a meeting with the former chairman of the European Scout Region on the first day and a visit to the World Scout Centre, also known as the Kandersteg International Scout Centre, in the Swiss Alps on the second day.
From the third day, the group visited famous tourist destinations in Switzerland, such as the resort town of Interlaken and the city of Lucerne. They then visited Italy's Milan and Venice over the next several days.
Switzerland and Italy had never even hosted a World Scout Jamboree before, but the officials tried to find a link, writing up a vision for Saemangeum to be developed "as a differentiated city like Venice in Italy to pass onto future generations."
Notably, some of the descriptions of tourist destinations they visited, such as the Piazza San Marco in Venice, appeared to be copied directly from a travel article printed in a local media outlet in March 2014 without changing a single word.
In October 2019, four officials from the Buan County Office went on a 10-day business trip to London and Paris. Records show they filed the purpose of the trip as an "on-site study of the Jamboree in Britain and a study on excellent festivals in Paris." However, London held the World Scout Jamboree in 1920, some 103 years ago, and the event was never hosted in Paris.
The itinerary for the business trip was also comprised of tours, including visits to Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey in England and stops at the Grape Harvest Festival in Montmartre and the Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel in France.
The business trip report included descriptions that officials attended the wine-tasting event in Montmartre considering how to incorporate aspects of it into a "drinking festival" representative of Buan County.
Local officials also went on cruise trips, claiming it was to prepare for the Jamboree.
Buan County is pushing for the creation of a cruise port, separate from the hosting of the Jamboree. When the Jamboree bid was confirmed, county officials made two business trips under the pretext of "promoting the Jamboree venue through the creation of a cruise port of call."
This included a seven-day cruise trip from Shanghai, China in October 2019 for 13 officials, and another cruise tour from Taiwan in December 2019, for five officials to visit Taipei 101 Observation Deck and Keelung port.
Some officials didn't report their business trips, claiming it was confidential.
A group of five officials from the North Jeolla provincial government and the Korea Scout Association made a 12-day trip from Dec. 12, 2016 to Belgium, Italy, Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to promote Saemangeum's Jamboree bid.
However, further details were not included as it was "not listed in the report due to confidentiality and security issues."
However, further details were not included as it was "not listed in the report due to confidentiality and security issues."
Another 11-day business trip to the 24th World Scout Jamboree hosted by the United States in July 2019 included eight people, including five Buan County Council members and three staffers. The purpose of the business trip was reportedly to "visit the U.S. Jamboree and learn how it operates."
They stayed in Charleston, West Virginia, where the Jamboree was actually held, for only two days. The rest of the trip was spent visiting the Statue of Liberty, Wall Street, Chelsea Market and Times Square in New York and Washington. The business trip cost 32.94 million won ($25,230).
"It seems that there was not much practical preparation during the eight years since Korea was selected as a candidate site," Kim Seong-soo, a professor of political science and diplomacy at Hanyang University, said.
There is now a blame going on between the current government and the previous political party over who is to blame. But it looks pretty clear to me that there's fairly obvious corruption from both which has been laid bare here.
A government enquiry has promised apparently.
So it's a good old fashioned corruption scandal which world scouting has been a major victim of. I do wonder what legal action can and will be taken. I suspect UK Scouting really will be looking hard at this.
It's bloody dreadful.
In the meantime the other contingents looks to be being housed in mainly dormitories and college accommodation - with many in Seoul itself. The Norwegians and the Swedes are joining the US at the US military base. So I suspect there will be plenty more opportunity before the end of the week for British scouts to interact with some of the other contingents.
In terms of activities available, well:
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on Tuesday evening that it had prepared an expanded program of tourism and cultural activities to welcome the scouts, including kayaking, paddle boarding and yachting on the Han River, hiking on Mount Inwang and Mount Bugak and rock climbing at outdoor parks in Daechi, Gangbyeon and Ttukseom starting Wednesday.
So in short there wasn't enough toilets for kids because Korean government officials saw Scouting as an opportunity to go to sightseeing at Buckingham and go on international piss ups.
That's pretty damn special.