Opposition Party Criticizing Romanian Vaccines Feels 'Embarrassed'... Government Says "Expiration Date After November... Can Be Used Comfortably"

Son Young-rae, Head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] As opposition presidential candidates made claims such as "vaccine beggars" and "vaccines close to disposal" regarding the COVID-19 vaccine swap between the government and Romania, the quarantine authorities dismissed the controversy by stating that the vaccines are "usable until November."

Earlier, on the 21st, Hong Joon-pyo, a preliminary presidential candidate from the People Power Party, posted on his Facebook, "It is said that we will receive 450,000 doses of vaccines from Romania that are close to disposal. Will they again mobilize special forces to put on a vaccine transport show?" He sharply criticized, "Have we become vaccine beggars? Instead of begging for vaccines like that, why didn't we negotiate with advanced vaccine countries earlier to secure vaccines? Even after becoming an advanced country, this is the state we are in."

On the 22nd, Yoo Seung-min, another preliminary presidential candidate from the People Power Party, posted on his Facebook under the title 'When will the vaccines arrive?' saying, "The U.S. gave us Janssen vaccines with a short expiration date, barely giving us a breather, and after Israel, we are receiving vaccines close to expiration from Romania and signing a deal to return them later when we secure new vaccines. Hearing this makes me feel ashamed," and criticized, "The government has not even provided a proper explanation as to why it failed in vaccine procurement."

In response, Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, emphasized in an interview with MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' on the 23rd, "Romania has expressed an urgent need for quarantine supplies such as diagnostic equipment, and we overall need more vaccines. So, we provide diagnostic equipment, and in return, they provide vaccines. This is a swap between the two countries, not a donation."

Regarding claims that the vaccines being brought in are close to expiration, he replied, "There seem to be various types of vaccine expiration dates, but the earliest is around November, so there is no problem," and added, "We believe we can use them comfortably."

He also said, "Originally, the swap decision should have been announced after finalizing and confirming the specific details. However, some incorrect reports such as 'free donation method' and 'vaccines close to disposal' came out first, so although the agreement is not yet fully completed, we are now disclosing the ongoing progress."

Meanwhile, as criticism from the opposition continued, Yeo Joon-sung, policy advisor to the Minister of Health and Welfare, also responded. On the 22nd, Yeo shared articles about candidates Hong and Yoo on Facebook, stating, "The Moderna vaccines under negotiation with Romania are neither 'close to disposal' nor 'near expiration.' The Moderna vaccines under negotiation have an expiration date after November. For reference, the Moderna vaccine's shelf life is up to six months at minus 20 degrees Celsius."

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