The state audit agency found that false reports by the organizing committee and the gender equality ministry significantly contributed to the 2023 Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree debacle, including poor heat wave measures and sanitation.

In a final report on an 18-month audit on Thursday, the Board of Audit and Inspection(BAI) said a retired gender equality ministry official with no relevant expertise headed the organizing committee and only six-point-three percent of its members had prior experience hosting an international event. 

The committee falsely reported its preparations to the gender equality ministry, which then relayed the misinformation to the Cabinet, resulting in a failure to implement supplementary measures.

The North Jeolla provincial government, where Saemangeum is located, was found to have been careless in drafting written plans during the host candidate review. 

The BAI recommended disciplinary action or called for investigations into 15 individuals, including current and former public officials and private businesspeople, over illegal or unfair conduct related to the debacle. 

While both the ministry and the North Jeolla provincial government acknowledged the audit report with humility, Governor Kim Kwan-young placed most of the blame on the ministry and the organizing committee.