"South Korea, Let's Make an Asian Vaccine Hub" People Power Party Proposes Special Committee to National Assembly Speaker and Democratic Party

"Form a Bipartisan Special Committee to Discuss with the US"

Park Jin, Chairman of the Special Committee on Foreign Affairs and Security of the People Power Party, holds a press conference on the results of the People Power Party's vaccine cooperation delegation to the United States at the National Assembly on the 26th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] On the 26th, the People Power Party proposed to the National Assembly Speaker and the ruling party to form a bipartisan "COVID-19 Vaccine Hub Special Committee" at the National Assembly level. The plan is to secure vaccine supplies through a "vaccine swap" agreement with the United States and, in the mid to long term, develop Korea into a hub.

Kim Ki-hyun, Acting Party Leader and Floor Leader of the People Power Party, said at a press conference reporting the results of the party's vaccine cooperation delegation to the U.S., "We will never give up efforts to secure vaccines until the day when all citizens can take off their masks," and added, "We ask for proactive cooperation in forming the special committee."

The Vaccine Hub Special Committee aims to establish a Korea-U.S. partnership that positions Korea as a central vaccine hub in Asia. It is not just about vaccine vial filling production but about Korea becoming a core base for vaccine production and logistics. To this end, continuous partnership and consultation channels with the U.S. are deemed necessary, and the National Assembly is expected to support this through policies and legislation.

Park Jin, Chair of the People Power Party's Foreign Affairs and Security Special Committee, said, "During an 8-night, 10-day visit to the U.S., we met extensively with members of Congress, the administration, think tanks, and pharmaceutical industry figures to explain the proposal for a 'vaccine swap' and building a partnership to make Korea an Asian vaccine hub, requesting support and cooperation," adding, "Although the opposition party has no authority for external negotiations and faces many restrictions in its activities, we approached the U.S. visit with an urgent spirit for bipartisan parliamentary diplomacy."

The People Power Party's delegation expressed regret that although it was fortunate to secure vaccines equivalent to 550,000 doses for Korean military personnel at the recent Korea-U.S. summit, the vaccine swap was not even mentioned. Chair Park stated, "I believe the government should have conducted all-out diplomacy to ensure the vaccine swap with the U.S. was realized."

The delegation emphasized that "the responsibility for implementing the Korea-U.S. summit outcomes has now shifted to the National Assembly, and practical discussions for the vaccine swap must continue." Representative Choi Hyung-doo said, "The vaccine swap is an issue that can continue to be discussed practically between the Korea and U.S. authorities," and added, "the governments and legislatures of both Korea and the U.S. must use this cooperation to dramatically accelerate domestic vaccine inoculation rates."

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