Jung Sye-kyun: "Korea Will Be Among the Leading Groups to Quickly Achieve Herd Immunity"

"Lee Jae-myung Rarely Attends Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Meetings, Seems Unaware of Vaccine Situation"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] Former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun predicted that South Korea will be among the leading countries globally to achieve herd immunity quickly. He also criticized Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung for being poorly informed about vaccine-related matters.

On the 26th, former Prime Minister Chung appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' and said regarding vaccines, "By the end of this month, 3 million people will have been vaccinated, by the end of June 12 million, and by the end of September 35 million plus. So internationally, it probably won't be considered slow."

He added, "If the public actively participates in vaccination, our country will certainly be among the leading groups to quickly achieve herd immunity."

Regarding a separate vaccine procurement by Governor Lee, he pointed out, "He is supposed to attend the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) meetings. If he attends, he would know what efforts the government is making, the vaccine situation, and the vaccination plans. Knowing these details well, it would be difficult to make such remarks, but it seems he has not been attending CDSCH meetings regularly."

He continued, "If one accurately understands the government's efforts and our current situation, there is no need to make such comments. In fact, I am even worried about what might happen if too many vaccines arrive excessively in the latter half of the year."

He also noted that domestic pharmaceutical companies are developing vaccines. Former Prime Minister Chung said, "I expect that development of domestic vaccines will be completed around early next year," adding, "The original plan is to start with imported vaccines and then switch to domestic vaccines." However, when asked if domestic vaccines would be available early next year, he said, "There is no guarantee. It is a hope."

When the host asked about his distinguishing points as a presidential candidate, he described himself as an "economic expert," saying, "Overcoming transitional crises quickly is most important. Recovery of daily life, economic recovery, community recovery, and restoration of national prestige will likely be the key themes of the next presidential election."

Regarding former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, he said, "I don't think he is such a formidable opponent."

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