The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF) of Korea refuted the World Organization of the Scout Movement’s report that the failure of the Saemangeum Jamboree was due to excessive intervention by the Korean government, stating, “This is not true at all.”
The Ministry explained, “The government, along with various ministries, local governments, and private companies, collaborated to normalize the event after initial problems occurred quickly.”
This response comes after the World Organization of the Scout Movement’s 25th World Scout Jamboree Independent Review Panel Report identified the reasons for the Saemangeum Jamboree’s failure as the weakened influence of the Korean Scout Federation, lack of clear communication, lack of trust among related organizations, and lack of transparency in processes.
The World Organization of the Scout Movement assessed that the Korea Scout Association was excluded from event operations due to substantial funding provided by the Korean government. This resulted in the Korean government becoming the de facto organizer of the Jamboree, which exacerbated existing organizational challenges and led to numerous structural and coordination difficulties.
In response, the MOGEF explained, “The 25th World Scout Jamboree in Saemangeum 2023 is hosted by the Korean Scout Federation and the World Scout Federation, and managed by the Jamboree Organizing Committee. Based on the 2023 Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree Support Special Act established in 2018, the government supported financial and event-related matters upon request from the hosting or managing organizations.”
It further explained, “The host organization, the Korean Scout Federation, played a leading role in securing and promoting the World Jamboree.
The World Organization of the Scout Movement supervised the Jamboree event according to the World Jamboree guidelines, and the managing organization, the Jamboree Organizing Committee, was responsible for setting up campsites and preparing programs.”
The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family also emphasized that it had not been asked to provide information during the World Scout Jamboree Independent Review Panel Report preparation and had not discussed the panel’s composition or role.