Won Hee-ryong: "Support for Communication Fees is Good, but Nationwide Flu Vaccination is More Urgent"

To Lee Nak-yeon: "Responding to the Opposition's Proposal Is Cooperation"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] On the 11th, Won Hee-ryong, Governor of Jeju, stated to Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, that "nationwide flu vaccination is more urgent" and emphasized that "free flu vaccinations should be expanded to all citizens nationwide."

On the same day, Governor Won wrote on Facebook, "Thanks to the efforts of the people and the hard work of quarantine authorities, the increase in confirmed cases has slowed, but everyone knows that the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) will not end quickly. Moreover, flu patients tend to appear during the changing seasons," adding, "COVID-19 and the flu have similar symptoms. If flu patients flood in, the barely holding medical system could collapse."

Governor Won pointed out, "In the COVID-19 situation, quarantine must be prioritized above all. There are signs of conflicts arising between regions over flu vaccinations. For example, Suncheon City has allocated its own budget to provide free vaccinations to some citizens aged 50 to 61, who are in a blind spot for vaccination. I hear complaints rising from neighboring cities and counties asking, 'Why can't we have it?'"

He continued, "Expanding vaccinations to all citizens would require roughly an additional 500 billion KRW in budget. This is about half the amount spent on providing 20,000 KRW in communication subsidies to all citizens through the 4th supplementary budget. Communication subsidies are good. If possible, giving 50,000 KRW would be even better. But with limited resources, government efforts need prioritization. Right now, flu prevention is COVID-19 prevention. And isn't it cooperation when the ruling party leader responds to the opposition party's proposal?"

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.