'Will Overseas Travel Open?'... Prime Minister Chung: "'Vaccine Passport' Development Completed, Opening Soon"

COVID-19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Meeting

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun is speaking while presiding over the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting on COVID-19 held at the Government Seoul Office Building on April 1, 2021. Photo by Yonhap News

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Son Seon-hee] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun stated on the 1st, "To truly feel the recovery of daily life after vaccination, the introduction of so-called 'vaccine passports' or 'green cards' is necessary," adding, "We will officially launch the certification application (app) this month." He especially urged the authorities, "Please actively participate in international discussions on the introduction of vaccine passports so that citizens can travel more conveniently both domestically and abroad, and prepare in advance."

On the same day, Prime Minister Chung chaired the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting at the Government Complex Seoul and said, "The government started preparations early this year and has already completed the development of a system that allows easy proof of vaccination on smartphones." He added, "By utilizing blockchain technology, the possibility of forgery and alteration is completely blocked, and no personal information is stored at all," and "It is also designed so that other countries can verify this."

Prime Minister Chung emphasized, "As important as vaccination proof is, the level to which it will be utilized in daily life is also a crucial issue," and urged the quarantine authorities and related ministries, "Within the scope that does not cause problems for quarantine, prepare specific utilization plans to minimize inconvenience for those who have completed vaccination in their daily lives."

Meanwhile, vaccination for the elderly aged 75 and over begins from this day. This marks the first start of vaccination for the general public who are not in hospitals or nursing facilities. Regarding this, Prime Minister Chung said, "Among the cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases, those aged 75 and over account for less than 8% of the total, but deaths account for 74% of the total, indicating a very high fatality rate," emphasizing, "The elderly are the top priority group to protect from COVID-19, and vaccines that can prevent infection and reduce deaths are especially urgent for them."

He also urged, "We ask the elderly to actively participate in vaccination so that they can overcome the fear of COVID-19 and protect their own health."

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