Partisan fighting torpedoes discussion of botched Jamboree

Politics

Published: 16 Aug. 2023, 16:41 Updated: 16 Aug. 2023, 17:46

Partisan fighting torpedoes discussion of botched Jamboree

People Power Party Rep. Lee Man-hee walks out of the Public Administration and Security Committee at the National Assembly in Seoul on Wednesday after making his statement. The PPP boycotted the meeting as the Democratic Party refused to call in the North Jeolla Governor Kim Kwan-young for questioning over the mismanagement of the World Scout Jamboree at Saemangeum held earlier this month. [YONHAP]

Parliamentary discussions of the shambolic management of the recently concluded World Scout Jamboree lasted just 26 minutes as partisan bickering over summoning North Jeolla Governor Kim Kwan-young scuppered talks.

While Democratic Party (DP) legislators attended the Public Administration and Security Committee on Wednesday, only one representative from the People Power Party (PPP) was present, with other members boycotting the session to protest the DP's refusal to summon the North Jeolla governor.

Kim serves as the acting chief of the World Scout Jamboree organizing committee at Saemangeum.

"The PPP has agreed to summon ministers from relevant departments to discuss the recent flooding, knife attacks and Jamboree situation," PPP lawmaker Lee Man-hee said.

He was referring to Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min and North Chungcheong Governor Kim Young-hwan, who were to be questioned about recent knife attacks in Sillim-dong, southern Seoul, and Seohyeon Station in Bundang, Gyeonggi, and the fatal flooding of an underpass in Osong-eup, North Chungcheong last month.

"But why can't the North Jeolla governor be called in for questioning?" Lee asked. "Isn't the intention behind discussing the Jamboree without the North Jeolla governor present to shift all the blame onto the Yoon Suk Yeol government?"

The PPP lawmaker said the key person responsible for setting up and managing the infrastructure at the Jamboree campsite was the North Jeolla governor, who also heads the organizing committee responsible for executing the plans.

"How many people in the public would accept an argument that it's the responsibility of the Minister of the Interior and Safety?" Lee asked.

The minister was only able to resume his duties after a prolonged impeachment battle over his ministry's handling of last Halloween's deadly crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon district.

The Supreme Court rejected the DP's motion to impeach the minister on July 25.

Meanwhile, the DP accused the PPP of throwing a fit, saying the issues slated for discussion were events from the previous month.

"This hearing was postponed because the PPP refused to accept the summoning of the North Chungcheong governor" regarding last month's underpass flooding that resulted in 14 deaths, DP lawmaker Kang Byung-won said. "The schedule was agreed upon."

He said the PPP's sudden demand for the North Jeolla governor's presence at the hearing is a political maneuver to shift the blame for the Jamboree crisis away from the government.

The head of the National Assembly Public Administration and Security Committee, DP lawmaker Kim Kyo-heung, said the PPP and the government would be held responsible for disrupting the committee's meeting.

North Jeolla Governor Kim Kwan-young holds a press conference at the North Jeolla government office in Jeonju, North Jeolla on Monday. [YONHAP]

Meanwhile, North Jeolla Governor Kim Kwan-young faced renewed accusations that he tried to shift blame onto others in his apology on Monday.

During a press conference, Kim expressed deep apologies to those who might have been hurt and acknowledged his significant responsibility as the governor of the province that hosted the World Scout Jamboree.

However, he also emphasized that the Jamboree's issues were not solely the fault of the North Jeolla government, placing blame on the organizing committee and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.

The North Jeolla governor even criticized the scouts themselves for posting about problems on Instagram and Twitter whenever they arose.

"Whenever there were problems, participants immediately posted them on social media," Kim said. "They would take pictures and send them to their parents."

He added, "Because communication through social media is more active nowadays, we should have been better prepared."

The PPP accused the North Jeolla governor of scapegoating guests after failing to effectively manage a global event.

"It's truly embarrassing and wearisome for the head of the committee responsible for executing the event to shift blame," remarked Jang Dong-hyeok, PPP lawmaker and the party's spokesperson.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]