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Scout jamboree in the toilet from start of sanitation arrangements, audit determines

Published: 10 Apr. 2025, 18:00 Updated: 10 Apr. 2025, 18:10

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo wipes a toilet seat while inspecting facilities at the World Scout Jamboree in Buan County, North Jeolla, on Aug. 4, 2023. [YONHAP]

A government audit report made public on Thursday showed that the 2023 World Scout Jamboree — widely criticized as the worst of its kind in history — was doomed from the start when it was making toilet arrangements.

Despite hosting 37,000 participants, the outdoor campsite in Saemangeum, North Jeolla, had only about 300 toilets. With just a few dozen sanitation workers assigned to the area, hygiene concerns erupted almost immediately after the event began.

On Aug. 4 of that year, just three days into the Jamboree, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was photographed scrubbing toilets himself during a visit to the site. It was only after Han's visit that the number of sanitation workers increased dramatically — from 70 to 542.

A report released Thursday by the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) included a transcript of internal discussions held the day after the prime minister's visit, in which he and other officials addressed the worsening sanitation crisis.

The conversation was disclosed as part of testimony by then-Gender Equality and Family Minister Kim Hyun-sook, who also chaired the Jamboree organizing committee.

Puddles of water are seen across the 2023 World Scout Jamboree campsite in Saemangeum, North Jeolla, after Typhoon Khanun passed by on August 11. [YONHAP]

“There are still many toilets that haven’t been cleaned,” Han said during the committee meeting.

“What’s the big deal if the toilets weren’t cleaned properly?” the secretary general of the committee, Choi Chang-haeng, asked in response.

“Of course it’s a serious issue,” said Kim.

Choi, a former director general at the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, had been tasked with overseeing sanitation.

However, a government official familiar with the situation told the JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of Korea JoongAng Daily, that Kim shared responsibility for the toilet debacle, noting that she, too, failed to adequately address the problem.

Jamboree scouts return to accommodation with bugbite-ridden legs on Aug. 6, 2023. [YONHAP]

Choi was appointed secretary general of the Jamboree in May 2020, just before his retirement. Despite having no experience managing large-scale international events, he was hired with an annual salary of 160 million won ($109,400). The Gender Ministry defended the appointment, saying Choi could facilitate close interministerial cooperation.

According to the BAI, problems began with the toilet contracts. Although the facilities were supposed to be installed by June 2023, two months before the Jamboree, the selected contractor proposed a much later deadline — just 10 days before participants were scheduled to arrive.

The organizing committee accepted the bid without specifying a firm construction completion date and signed a contract worth tens of billions of won for toilets and shower facilities. In addition, over 1 billion won in cleaning services were exempted during the negotiation process.

Scouts escape the heat in tents at the World Scout Jamboree in Buan County, North Jeolla on Aug. 4, 2023. [NEWS1]

The audit found that Choi falsely reported to the Gender Ministry that construction had been completed, even though it had not. As a result, piping for the toilet facilities was still unfinished on the opening day, July 25, causing significant discomfort for participants.

The BAI announced Thursday that it had forwarded investigative reference materials on Choi to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, citing inadequate contract management and the submission of false reports.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY PARK TAE-IN [[email protected]]