Kwon Young-jin Bows His Head Over 'Vaccine Arrangement Controversy'... "All Faults Are Mine"

On the afternoon of the 8th, Kwon Young-jin, the mayor of Daegu, is officially apologizing at Daegu City Hall regarding the controversy over arranging the purchase of Pfizer vaccines. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] Kwon Young-jin, Mayor of Daegu, officially apologized on the 8th regarding the controversy over arranging the purchase of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines.

Mayor Kwon held a press conference that afternoon and said, "What began as a goodwill effort to assist the government's vaccine procurement caused significant social backlash and political controversy, creating a major ripple effect in our society."

He explained, "It was my fault that this story, which was merely one of the simple cases of vaccine introduction failure, escalated into a 'fake vaccine scam' controversy. By hastily and exaggeratedly mentioning matters under government review, I caused the issue to develop into a political controversy."

He continued, "My imprudent words and actions damaged Daegu's image and deeply hurt and disappointed citizens suffering from COVID-19. All the fault for this controversy lies with me as mayor. I ask that criticism of the citizens and local medical community stop."

Mayor Kwon also added, "When the council proposed on April 28 that vaccines could be introduced from Germany and suggested sending a letter of intent to purchase on behalf of Daegu City, I failed to examine the matter more carefully and allowed consultation with the Ministry of Health and Welfare."

He acknowledged, "After hearing that the council would send the letter of intent following consultation with the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Daegu City sent the letter under the mayor's name without verifying facts or conducting additional consultations."

Earlier, Daegu City, through the medical institution council MedCity Daegu Council, attempted to purchase 30 million doses of Pfizer vaccines and passed related contacts to the Ministry of Health and Welfare. However, the ministry stated, "Due to doubts about authenticity, it was decided not to proceed with the introduction."

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