People Power Party: "450,000 Doses of Romanian Vaccines Support, Korea Reduced to Vaccine Processing Country"

"From the Original Donor Country to a Recipient Country"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] The People Power Party has labeled the South Korean government's decision to receive 450,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine from Romania as a "vaccine humiliation."

On the 22nd, Kang Min-kook, the floor spokesperson for the People Power Party, criticized, "The incompetence of the Moon Jae-in administration not only threatens the health and survival of the people but also destroys their pride," adding, "President Moon promised to transform Korea into one of the top five global vaccine producers by 2025, but in reality, we have become a 'vaccine beneficiary country.'"

Kang stated, "The Romanian government expressed its intention to donate 450,000 doses of Moderna vaccines that are nearing their expiration date to our country," and continued, "Although the Moon administration belatedly denied that this was a free grant, citing local media reports, it appears to be nothing more than a desperate measure to quell the growing criticism."

He lamented, "The feelings of the people are dismal," and said, "An economically advanced country with a per capita GDP exceeding $30,000 has become a nation that has to accept even 'vaccines nearing expiration' due to a lack of vaccines."

Kang pointed out, "'Vaccine humiliation' is a result brought upon by the Moon administration itself," and criticized, "While advanced countries were fully mobilizing for vaccine acquisition, the Moon administration did not allocate any budget for vaccine purchases in four supplementary budgets last year or in this year's government budget proposal, citing uncertainty about vaccine development success."

He added, "The people are bitterly mocking themselves, wondering if this is what a 'country never experienced before' looks like in the face of the Moon administration's vaccine supply incompetence," and stated, "President Moon will be remembered as the first president who turned South Korea from a 'donor country' into a 'recipient country.'"

Heo Eun-ah, the chief spokesperson for the People Party, also issued a separate statement, saying, "The problem is that despite assuring the public of vaccine procurement, we have now reached a situation where we have to beg other countries, and it is problematic that, contrary to the president's Liberation Day speech claiming to have 'surpassed the G7,' we are receiving vaccines on the same level as Albania, Vietnam, and Tunisia," and criticized, "They must apologize for reducing us to a 'vaccine disposal country' overnight and causing suffering to the people."

Heo emphasized, "Above all, we urge the preparation of fundamental support measures to alleviate the pain of self-employed and small business owners, and a shift in quarantine policies away from regulation-only approaches to ones that can gain public consent."

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