Ha Tae-kyung Criticizes Military's 'No-Mask Experiment' as Inhumane

"Military Unit's 'No Mask Experiment'... The Policy Itself Was Wrong and the Implementation Method Was Also Incorrect"
"Should Only Be Done in the Final Stage of With-Corona"

On the 27th, Ha Tae-kyung, a presidential candidate from the People Power Party, held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office regarding the COVID-19 military herd immunity policy experiment. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Seohyun] Ha Tae-kyung, a presidential candidate from the People Power Party, recently criticized the Ministry of National Defense's initiative to partially lift mask mandates within some military units, calling it "inhumane to use soldiers, who must live collectively under a command structure, as test subjects."

On the 31st, Ha stated on his Facebook, "The 'no-mask experiment' for military personnel, which the Ministry of National Defense was pursuing under President Moon Jae-in's directive, is fundamentally flawed in both policy and implementation."

He explained, "The policy we need to consider now is not 'no-mask' but 'With Corona.' Since 'With Corona' prioritizes gradual easing of social distancing, it should be reviewed only at the final stage."

He emphasized, "Among those fully vaccinated in our country, breakthrough infections have exceeded 2,600. Globally, countries that hastily removed masks as vaccinations increased have suffered severe COVID-19 outbreaks."

He continued, "In this context, the 'no-mask experiment' pushed forward secretly by the Blue House and the Ministry of National Defense is extremely reckless," adding, "If the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) refuses even to respond to official letters from the Ministry of National Defense citing presidential orders, it shows how problematic this is."

Ha argued, "The method of implementation is also wrong. While the KDCA is reviewing the 'With Corona' policy, President Moon's directive to conduct the 'no-mask experiment' is essentially political quarantine. Whether to adopt 'no-mask' or 'With Corona' should be decided through discussions among the KDCA and relevant experts."

He questioned, "Why conduct a 'no-mask experiment' targeting only certain military units through consultations between President Moon and the Ministry of National Defense, who are not even quarantine experts? Soldiers, who cannot exercise veto power, should never be used as test subjects."

He added, "The Blue House and the Ministry of National Defense planned this dangerous policy, disregarding the safety of our soldiers, to promote K-quarantine achievements during President Moon's final term. I hope they withdraw this immediately and prepare a plan to normalize military activities in line with the KDCA's 'With Corona' strategy."

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