Gominjeong, on the '44 Million Vaccine Doses Secured' Banner Controversy... Kim Woong Says "I Don't Understand What You're Saying"

Kim Woong "I don't need anything else, just show me 44 million doses"

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Gominjeong, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, clarified the controversy over the banner she put up claiming 'Securing 44 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines,' while on the 2nd, Kim Woong, a member of the People Power Party, said, "None of that matters, just show me the 44 million doses."

On the same day, Kim shared an article related to Gominjeong on his Facebook, saying, "I don't understand what she means. Is she saying 'I was also deceived by the media,' or does she mean that since it seems the doses will soon be secured, claiming last year that they were secured is not fake news...?"

Earlier, Gominjeong appeared on YTN Radio's 'Hwang Boseon's Starting Morning' the previous day and addressed the banner controversy, saying, "I think there are many people who are excessively interested in me," but added, "Before putting up the banner, on December 2nd last year, the budget bill was passed in the National Assembly, and at that time, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance issued a press release. The title at that time was the same as the banner I put up, 'Securing 44 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines.'"

She continued, "There was also a government briefing on December 8th, and all the media prominently featured it on their front pages," adding, "There was no place that did not report on it."

Gominjeong also pointed out, "In fact, some opposition party members wrote posts accusing me of spreading fake news using this banner, and a reporter from a certain newspaper wrote an article saying 'Gominjeong is spreading fake news.' However, that same newspaper also published an article with the exact same headline as my banner on their front page at that time last year."

Photo by Kim Woong, screenshot from the Facebook page of the People Power Party lawmaker.

Meanwhile, last December, Gominjeong put up a promotional banner in her constituency, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, stating 'Securing 44 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines,' which drew criticism for being factually inaccurate.

At that time, Jeong Eun-kyung, head of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, announced, "The government has completed purchase contracts for 36 million doses out of the 46 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines it decided to buy." It was known that negotiations for the remaining 10 million doses were still ongoing.

As the controversy grew, Gominjeong's side explained, "Some media outlets first used the expression 'Securing 44 million doses of vaccines.' We simply quoted the media reports, so there is no problem." They also said, "Ultimately, since contracts for over 44 million doses are imminent, it cannot be considered spreading false information."

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