hankyoreh

Former President Moon Jae-in. (Yonhap)

Former President Moon Jae-in has apologized for the 2023 World Scout Jamboree debacle, saying of the incident, “Our national image has been scarred and we have lost our pride.”

“To the people, scouts from all over the world, the people of North Jeolla Province, and disappointed sponsors, I apologize and convey my sympathies as the president of the country when the 2023 World Scout Jamboree was first courted,” the former president wrote on his Facebook page.

Moon, who has refrained from commenting on current events since leaving office, spoke out as controversy surrounding the jamboree snowballed.

“The Saemangeum jamboree cost us dearly,” he wrote. “Our national image has been scarred and we have lost our pride. Shame has become a burden for our citizens to bear. Lack of preparation turned even the heavens against us.”

“I hope this failure has taught us a bitter lesson, and that South Korea will be able to pick itself up by its bootstraps and stand high with pride,” he went on.

The People Power Party has been on the offensive for days, blaming the jamboree disaster on the Moon administration.

“The Moon Jae-in administration and North Jeolla Province did nothing right to prepare for the event,” Kim Gi-hyeon, the ruling party’s leader, wrote on Facebook on the same day.

“Despite the poor preparation, the central government, such as President Yoon Suk-yeol, and the active participation of the people and private companies, made the event a success,” Kim wrote.

By Lee Woo-yun, staff reporter

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