[Desk Column] Focusing on the 'Vaccine Diplomacy' at the Korea-US Summit

All eyes are on the first summit meeting between President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Joe Biden. The summit, held in the early morning of the 22nd Korean time, features diplomatic and security issues such as denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, U.S.-China conflicts, and Korea-Japan relations, but there is an agenda that draws even more attention. It is the plan to strengthen cooperation on COVID-19 vaccines, so-called 'vaccine diplomacy.'

South Korea was regarded as a model country for quarantine measures in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. A meticulous quarantine system based on cutting-edge ICT infrastructure and diagnostic kits helped prevent a large-scale outbreak. Above all, the civic consciousness shown by all citizens, such as wearing masks and social distancing, was envied by other countries. However, quarantine measures that relied on citizens' inconvenience have reached their limits. While countries like Israel, the UK, and the U.S. have declared they are 'removing masks,' South Korea still depends solely on individual quarantine measures. This is because vaccination is becoming the game changer in the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of midnight on the 21st, 3.77 million people in South Korea have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. This accounts for 7.3% of the population. 1.48 million have completed their second dose. This is in stark contrast to Israel, where 59% of the population has completed the second dose. Recently, a 'vaccine bottleneck' has occurred, with some days seeing only a few people vaccinated. The supply of vaccines entering the country is insufficient, and even this supply plan frequently changes. In the case of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, some countries have banned its use due to frequent reports of adverse reactions. Securing safe vaccines stably has become one of the most important national issues.

It has been one year and four months since the first COVID-19 case was confirmed in South Korea on January 20 last year. So far, there have been 130,000 confirmed cases domestically. Compared to other countries, this number is not considered high. Given the pandemic situation, this can be evaluated as a 'good defense.' The issue lies in vaccine diplomacy. It is about mobilizing all national capabilities to secure safe vaccines in sufficient quantities. For this, all national leaders are going all out. Taking advantage of this, countries producing vaccines such as the U.S., China, and Russia are actively using vaccines to expand their national interests.

South Korea must secure the vaccines it needs immediately and simultaneously establish itself as a hub for vaccine production to ensure stable vaccine supply in the future. South Korea's vaccine contract manufacturing organization (CMO) capabilities are among the best in the world. Samsung Biologics, including its under-construction Plant 4, will have a total production capacity of 620,000 liters, accounting for one-third of the world's CMO scale. SK Bioscience, Hanmi Pharmaceutical, and ST Pharm, which contract manufacture AstraZeneca and Novavax vaccines, also have large-scale contract manufacturing capabilities.

It is still difficult to predict what conclusions President Moon and President Biden will reach at the summit. However, it is clear that the extent and content of the outcomes will depend on whether President Moon, showing absolute trust in the U.S., can persuade President Biden. In the face of public health and safety, political factions and ideologies are meaningless. This should also be separated from judging the president's achievements and failures. At this moment, all citizens are focused on the president.

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