Yoo Seung-min Raises Voices for 'Vaccine Securing' Day After Day... "Secure Vaccines Instead of Promoting Carbon Neutrality"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Yoo Seung-min, a former lawmaker and opposition presidential candidate, has been raising his voice day after day emphasizing the need to secure vaccines.

On the 11th, Yoo said on Facebook, "Other countries are starting vaccinations in December, but we, without vaccines, cannot confidently say whether we will start in the first half of next year or the second half, or when the vaccinations will end," highlighting the situation.

He has emphasized the necessity of securing vaccines for three consecutive days since the 9th. This is because the issue seriously affects the lives of the people and the economy.

Referring to the Blue House's announcement that the August 15 rally reduced GDP by 0.5 percentage points, Yoo said, "I was speechless because I had never heard such a bizarre calculation in my life, but it passed without much criticism," and pointed out, "The failure to secure vaccines is not only fatal to the lives and safety of the people but also critical to our economy."

He predicted, "The 2021 economy will be determined by the 'vaccine divide.' Countries that have secured enough COVID vaccines will board the economic recovery train, while we, who failed to secure vaccines early, will remain at the COVID station."

Yoo raised his voice, saying, "They say the GDP dropped by 0.5 percentage points due to the half-day August 15 rally. Then, if vaccinations are delayed by at least three months or, in the worst case, about a year, how many percentage points will the GDP decrease?"

He pointed out, "If 2 trillion won had been used to pre-purchase 50 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, at least the tragic loss of tens of trillions of won in GDP and hundreds of thousands of jobs as opportunity costs could have been prevented," and criticized, "The enormous opportunity cost paid because the president was absorbed in boasting about K-quarantine or political struggles like the Corruption Investigation Office is entirely borne by the people."

Yoo highlighted the COVID polarization issue and expressed concern about the devastation of domestic service sectors with many low-income workers. He said, "Small business owners are on the verge of explosion, saying 'Are we the cannon fodder?'" and raised his voice, "Households of ordinary people are already bankrupt, and due to the Moon Jae-in administration's incompetence and dereliction of duty in failing to secure vaccines, no one knows when COVID will end."

Targeting President Moon, he said, "If you have the dedication to focus on the Corruption Investigation Office Act, disciplining the Prosecutor General, and promoting the carbon neutrality vision on a black-and-white carbon-colored TV, please secure vaccines quickly so that our ordinary people can finally see the end of this tiresome COVID tunnel," and criticized, "Instead of spending money on the construction economy they used to criticize so much, spend money for the ordinary people dying from COVID polarization."

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