Jung Sye-kyun: "If COVID-19 Vaccines Remain, They May Be Provided to North Korea"

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun is speaking at the Policy Discussion with Foreign Correspondents invited by the Prime Minister held at the Seoul Press Center on the 27th. 2021.1.27 [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said on the 27th, "If there is leftover vaccine supply, we should not close off the possibility of providing it to a third country in need or to North Korea."

At a policy discussion with foreign reporters held at the Seoul Press Center that afternoon, Prime Minister Chung responded to the question, "After achieving herd immunity through nationwide vaccination, is it possible to provide vaccines to countries where vaccination is difficult, such as North Korea?" with the above statement.

Prime Minister Chung said, "If an additional contract for 20 million doses is made on top of the 56 million doses already secured, and if all these vaccines can be utilized without issues, there may be leftover supply," adding, "I think that would be a good thing." Regarding the provision to North Korea or third countries, he added, "It would be good to keep that option open and always consider it."

However, he noted, "We currently expect herd immunity to be formed around this fall, and we are aiming for 70% vaccination coverage by September, so it is difficult to predict the situation in advance," adding, "We will keep the possibility open and continue to consider it."

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