Ruling Party and Government Meeting on Vaccine Inspection: "Demand for System Implementing 'Support First, Confirm Later' for Vaccine Side Effects"

Kim Sung-joo, head of the Vaccine Inspection Team of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the Vaccine Inspection Team meeting held at the National Assembly on the 26th and delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] On the 26th, the Democratic Party of Korea demanded that the government implement a system that prioritizes support using emergency measures when COVID-19 vaccine side effects are suspected, followed by post-verification.

At a party-government meeting on vaccine supply held at the National Assembly that morning, the Democratic Party conveyed this demand to Kang Do-tae, the 1st Chief Coordinator of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, among others, according to Kim Seong-ju, the ruling party's secretary of the National Assembly's Welfare Committee.

In a briefing that day, Representative Kim said, “In cases requiring more prompt action, such as the recent case of a female nursing assistant in her 40s, we emphasized that the government should respond swiftly without being bound by customs, regulations, or procedures, and demanded sufficient support.” He added, “We requested the government to implement a system that prioritizes support using emergency or disaster support systems first, followed by post-verification.”

The Democratic Party also demanded detailed disclosure of vaccine supply, vaccination plans, and vaccination status. Representative Kim stated, “Along with the daily reports of confirmed cases and deaths from the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, the number of vaccinations from the previous day will also be reported in detail to the public simultaneously.”

Regarding concerns about vaccine side effects causing vaccination anxiety, he explained, “Vaccination cannot be stopped just because some side effects are feared. In the US and Europe, vaccination was temporarily suspended upon detecting abnormal reactions, but after reviewing the details, vaccination was promptly resumed. It was judged that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks.”

After the briefing, Representative Kim told reporters, “The additional 20 million doses of Pfizer vaccine recently contracted are scheduled to be introduced after the third quarter.”

In his opening remarks at the meeting, Policy Committee Chair Hong Ik-pyo said, “Relatively, South Korea has low uncertainty in vaccine supply,” adding, “We are one of the few countries with domestic production bases for AstraZeneca (AZ), Novavax, and Sputnik V, and efforts and support to expand this are continuously underway.” Chair Hong emphasized, “The government and ruling party will unite their efforts to achieve the policy goal of vaccinating 12 million people by the end of June and achieving herd immunity by November, doing their best in all areas.”

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