“At the site, the official in charge said, ‘Regardless of the reason, please let me hold on for 12 days (when the Jamboree event is in progress)’. He said, ‘Hundreds of civil servants are about to be blown away’. It was less than a month until the opening ceremony.”
An official from Company A, which was subcontracted for the construction of the 25th World Scout Jamboree camp site in Saemangeum, Buan-gun, North Jeolla Province, said that he heard absurd words from the official in charge of the Jamboree last month at the construction site. It was at this point that the problem became serious, with the campsite turning into a huge ‘mud field’ due to the record-breaking rainy season at the time. He told the Dong-A Ilbo on the 8th, “The field officials are in a frenzy and are working late into the night even on rainy days, but I was dumbfounded when the news only said, ‘The preparations are going well, there is no problem.’”
It was in August 2017 that the Saemangeum region was finally selected as the venue for the Jamboree. It took six full years before the event was held in August this year. However, as a result of Dong-A Ilbo’s analysis of the status of Jamboree-related construction orders posted on the Public Procurement Service’s Nara Market website, full-fledged construction began in November 2021, when the event was less than two years away. The construction of shower booths and water fountains began only in March of this year, about four months before the event. It is difficult to avoid criticism that the government could not prevent the ‘Pearl Field Disaster’ by belatedly starting preparations even though it took six years.
Necessary facilities for participants to use were found to be less than originally planned. According to the initial plan announced by the Saemangeum Development Authority in 2016, the manor house was planned to have 417 shower rooms and 278 water fountains. However, 281 showers (67%) and 120 water fountains (43%) were actually prepared at the campsite. Each of them was installed at about half of the initial plan. It turned out that the toilets, which had been pointed out for poor hygiene at the beginning of the event, were also poorly staffed.
Inspection of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and others is also being reviewed to find out who is responsible for this Jamboree incident. A high-ranking official in the presidential office emphasized in a phone call with Dong-A Ilbo, “As the national credibility is at stake, a thorough review is necessary after doing everything possible to deal with it.” However, another key official in the President’s Office said, “We will do our best to focus on support until the closing ceremony of the Jamboree on the 12th.” The Office for Government Policy Coordination under the Office of the Prime Minister is also expected to investigate the budget allocation and execution of local governments such as Jeonbuk Province and the progress of projects.
Shower-water fountain, less than half of the original goal… 10 bathrooms managed by 1 person
Shower heads, I need 5000, but 1650… Water fountains, 43% of 278 120 installedtoilets Supplier “needs 1 person per 2 places”…Organizing Committee, delayed response to waste disposal and pest control belatedly increased due to uncleanness controversyFrom the beginning of the 25th World Scout Jamboree held in Saemangeum, Buan, North Jeolla Province, there was controversy over poor essential and sanitary facilities such as showers, toilets, and water fountains. As a result of the Dong-A Ilbo’s coverage, it was confirmed that the number of shower stalls and water fountains prepared at the Jamboree site was around half of the original target, and that the ‘number of shower heads’ installed there was only one-third of the target. Looking back at the overall preparation process, it seems that the government and Jeonbuk-do cannot avoid criticism that poor planning and belated preparations have caused the ‘squad disaster’.
● I need 5000 shower heads… Only 1650 installed
In 2016, the Saemangeum Development Agency published a report titled ‘Research Service for 2023 World Jamboree Hosting Practice Plan’. According to this report, which corresponds to the de facto ‘initial master plan’, the government at the time planned to build a total of 417 shower facilities at the campsite. However, according to the Jamboree Organizing Committee on the 8th, only 281 shower booths (67%) were actually prepared in the territory.
The problem is more serious when viewed in terms of the number of showers rather than showers. In the initial plan, it was decided to install 12 showerheads per building to secure about 5,000 showerheads, but the number of showerheads actually installed is only 1,650, or 33% of the target. Water fountains were also only installed at 120, or 43% of the original goal of 278.
It was in mid-March, just four months before the opening of the Jamboree, that the Jamboree Organizing Committee selected a company to install shower booths and water fountains in the campsite. It is pointed out that preparations may have been insufficient as the government started to build showers belatedly after being late. Regarding this, an official from the organizing committee said, “It is true that there was not enough time to install showers as the rainy season in July got longer.” explained
It is not only the shower room that raises suspicions of ‘late arrival’. The stage installation service, which was originally scheduled for a ‘K-Pop Concert’ performance, was confirmed by the company only in mid-June. The company to handle the construction waste generated during the construction was only decided on the 27th of last month, five days before the opening, and eventually the Jamboree started with waste piled up all over the venue.
● One person cleans 10 toilets… Impromptu JamboreeAt the beginning of the Jamboree event, it turned out that the number of toilets with poor hygiene was sufficient, but the number of people assigned to clean and manage the toilets was extremely insufficient. There were 70 people assigned to manage 354 toilets, and even that was divided into morning and afternoon sessions, and one person had to manage 10 toilets.
An official from the company that supplied portable toilets to the Jamboree site said, “Usually, a contract for maintenance and management (cleaning) is signed together, but the Organizing Committee only signed a contract for delivery and maintenance.” should be placed,” he said먹튀검증. The organizing committee hurriedly dispatched 100 additional workers only on the 3rd, after the filthy toilets became a big controversy.
The fact that the Jamboree participants’ bodies were full of bites from ‘burn bugs’ was not irrelevant to the organizing committee’s lack of preparation. Due to the nature of the wetland, large-scale breeding of pests was expected, but the organizing committee did not prepare enough insect repellents. Only after the photos of the injured legs of the participants became controversial, they hurriedly received sponsorship and distributed one insect repellent to each participant.
It was revealed that the construction of the campground facilities, for which a budget of 13 billion won was budgeted, was mainly done on the fly rather than thorough planning. A representative of a company that took part in the construction said, “About 20 days before the event, the roads inside the campground became so muddy that cars couldn’t pass through, and additional unscheduled gravel pavement work was done.” The decision to lay plastic pallets on top of the mud to set up tents was not originally planned, but was reportedly made at the suggestion of a subcontractor.