Won Hee-ryong: "Instead of 20,000 won for communication fees, nationwide flu vaccination should be done... It is possible"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Won Hee-ryong, Governor of Jeju, raised his voice regarding the controversy over the "20,000 KRW communication fee" support, saying, "Instead, let's provide free flu vaccinations nationwide."

On the 14th, Governor Won said on Facebook, "Why do many people say 'this is not right'?"

In an interview with CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' that morning, he responded to Lee Ho-seung, the Blue House Chief Economic Secretary, who said, "I don't quite understand why (the 20,000 KRW communication fee support) is considered meaningless," by stating, "There was even a public opinion poll showing that nearly 60% of the people responded that it was a 'wrong action.'"

Governor Won questioned, "Is it really meaningless?" and added, "Since the country borrowed money with difficulty to provide this, doesn't it mean it should be used wisely in important areas?"

He mentioned free nationwide flu vaccinations as an alternative to the 20,000 KRW communication fee support, emphasizing, "It costs much less than the communication fee support. The public response is also quite positive."

The government and ruling party are skeptical about the free flu vaccination alternative. The Blue House cited vaccine supply issues, and Han Jeong-ae, Chair of the Democratic Party's Policy Committee, dismissed it by saying, "There is a treatment called Tamiflu for the flu."

In response, Governor Won emphasized, "This year, 30 million doses have been secured, with 19 million doses allocated for free vaccinations. To vaccinate the entire population, 50 million doses are needed," and added, "The vaccination rate required for herd immunity is 65%, and excluding those who have difficulty moving or have various reasons for limited external contact, it is roughly 30 million people."

He said, "No matter how much the government and local governments promote it, not all eligible for free vaccination get the shot," adding, "According to 2018 statistics, only 60.6% of the 5.62 million children aged 6 months to 12 years receiving government support were vaccinated."

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