Ye "Preventive flu vaccine became poison... Cause must be identified"

Deaths Following Vaccination Continue... Conflicting Reactions Between Ruling and Opposition Parties
Ruling Party "Caution Needed" vs Opposition Party "Halt Vaccinations"

Kim Jong-in, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, is speaking at the Emergency Response Committee Chairman-Senior Lawmakers Joint Meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of the 21st.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] Amid reports of deaths following influenza (flu) vaccination, controversy over vaccine safety continues in the political arena. While the opposition party is launching attacks, saying the authorities' decision to "continue vaccinations" is complacent, the ruling party is taking a cautious stance.

On the 22nd, Kim Jong-in, Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, criticized at the party's emergency meeting, "They only say it's okay, but there is no explanation about any problems in the vaccine production or distribution process."

He added, "The health authorities should conduct a full investigation of the flu vaccine so that the public can be assured and receive the flu vaccine," and requested, "People who want to get the flu vaccine are hesitating and feeling very anxious."

Lee Jong-bae, Policy Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, said, "The flu vaccine, which should prevent disease, has become a deadly poison," and urged, "The government and ruling party should not hope to downplay the situation but should first suspend vaccinations and investigate the cause of death through a full investigation."

Emergency Committee member Sung Il-jong also claimed, "Due to the complacent response of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), our citizens are losing their lives," and stated, "All responsibility lies with the KDCA."

Emergency Committee member Kim Mi-ae emphasized, "The government should not say it is safe but must come up with drastic measures. It takes two weeks to get the results of autopsy and tissue tests, but in the meantime, I request that vaccinations be suspended and the situation monitored," adding, "Blaming underlying diseases only after a series of deaths is a belated administrative excuse to avoid responsibility. It is time to re-examine the situation."

Health and Welfare Committee members of the People Power Party held a press conference at the National Assembly on the same day, saying, "Public anxiety is growing," and raised their voices, "The government should conduct a full investigation of the flu vaccine and consider suspending vaccinations."

They added, "Citizens who planned to get vaccinated fearing a twin-demic of COVID-19 and flu are confused by the consecutive flu vaccine death incidents. The government's announcement that it is 'safe' is no longer trustworthy," and urged, "The government must prepare a comprehensive flu vaccine countermeasure with all its efforts."

Jung Eun-kyung, Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, is responding during the comprehensive audit of the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency held by the Health and Welfare Committee at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 22nd. Photo by Yonhap News

On the other hand, the Democratic Party expressed concern about the growing public anxiety but emphasized the need for a cautious decision.

Nam In-sook, a Democratic Party member of the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee, said, "There is no situation that requires stopping vaccinations," and stressed, "Excessive fear should be avoided."

Nam said, "Experts have stated that adverse events like death after flu vaccination are very rare exceptions, and in most cases, causality has not been established or the cause of adverse events is not the vaccine. Also, the vaccines involved in the death cases were from different manufacturers, and no special adverse events occurred in others vaccinated at the same medical institutions," adding, "Monitoring of adverse reactions after flu vaccination should be strengthened, and in cases of death or severe adverse reactions, the association with the vaccine should be thoroughly investigated. If a link is confirmed, proper procedures such as compensation should be followed."

Democratic Party member Kim Sung-joo said, "It is true that many death reports have been made in the short term, and there seems to be controversy," and added, "Post-vaccination follow-up is important, and accurate information should be provided to the public to prevent anxiety."

Meanwhile, Jeong Eun-kyeong, Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, stated that no specific link has been confirmed between deaths and vaccination.

At the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee comprehensive audit on the 22nd, Commissioner Jeong said, "Although the number of death reports has increased so far, the investigation team’s opinion is that there is a low direct link to 'death caused by vaccination,'" and added, "The causality between deaths and vaccines is being professionally judged based on the cause and details of death."

In response to People Power Party member Kim Mi-ae’s question about whether to consider suspending vaccinations even for vaccines that the deceased received, Jeong replied, "We have reviewed that, but our and experts’ judgment is that there is no need to suspend vaccinations at this time." She added, "We are monitoring death cases as much as possible to check for any issues related to vaccination, and if any abnormalities are suspected, we will take prompt action."

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