PPP calls for state audit into management of budget for World Scout Jamboree

▲ Scouts from Germany are seen next to a bus after they left the campsite of the World Scout Jamboree in Saemangeum, a reclaimed wetland on the southwest coast, on Aug. 8, 2023. (Yonhap)

PPP-Jamboree

PPP calls for state audit into management of budget for World Scout Jamboree

SEOUL, Aug. 8 (Yonhap) -- The ruling People Power Party (PPP) called Tuesday for a state audit into the management of the massive state budget used to host the World Scout Jamboree as tens of thousands of Scouts evacuated the campsite earlier than scheduled due to the approach of a powerful typhoon.

The call came as about 37,000 young Scouts and adult volunteers from 156 countries evacuated to Seoul and seven other regions from Saemangeum, the venue of the 25th World Scout Jamboree, four days ahead of schedule Tuesday morning.

After its opening last week, the event had been plagued with complaints about the campsite's poor conditions, combined with the extreme heat wave, while hundreds were treated for heat-related illnesses.

Some contingents, including those from the United States, Britain and Singapore, cut their journey short and left the campsite earlier than scheduled.

Data provided by the organizers of the Saemangeum event the previous day showed that an overwhelming amount of the 117.1 billion-won (US$89.5 million) budget for the world event was used for operational and personnel expenses instead of for the setting up of infrastructure, such as shower and bathroom stalls, at the campsite.

On Tuesday, the PPP called for an audit to see how the organizers used the funds.

"Not only was a huge budget allocated for the Jamboree's success, additional indirect expenditures were found to amount to over 10 trillion won," PPP spokesperson, Rep. Kang Min-kuk said.

"We need to thoroughly check whether taxpayers' money was used in the right places, whether there was any fault in the management of the event's budget or in the preparations, and if any fault is found, those responsible should be brought to account," he added.

Kim Jae-won, a member of the PPP's Supreme Council, argued in a radio interview that stern legal measures, such as an investigation by a dedicated team, are necessary.

The party's leader Kim Gi-hyeon, criticized the opposition Democratic Party for using the event as a pretext for a political attack and expressed his support for the government's decision to move participants out of the campsite in Saemangeum in the face of Typhoon Khanun.

"It was an adequate preemptive measure to secure the safety of the Scouts, which is the most important thing," Kim said.

PPP spokesperson, Rep. Yoo Sang-bum, also said the government should "thoroughly analyze" why the event was badly managed, but noted that a parliamentary probe or an audit is something to be discussed after the event wraps up.

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