Government Says "No Discrimination Against Unvaccinated" Yet... Why Is the 'Vaccine Pass' Debate Heating Up?

"Discrimination Against the Unvaccinated" vs "Just an Incentive for Vaccination"
As of the 6th, 7 posts opposing 'Vaccine Pass' appeared on the Blue House public petition board
Authorities: "A safety measure for gradual return to normal life... Not applied to children and adolescents"

On the 4th, the Seoul Florence Boramae branch, a company specializing in first birthday parties and other celebrations. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] The government is facing heated debate over the vaccine pass being considered as part of the phased return to normal life from COVID-19. Although the government has stepped in to manage the situation by assuring that there will be no discrimination against the unvaccinated, the controversy continues to intensify.

The vaccine pass is a policy that grants benefits such as lifting restrictions on the use of multi-use facilities for those who have completed vaccination. It is implemented as a kind of 'vaccination incentive' to reduce the infection risk among the unvaccinated. Unvaccinated individuals can use facilities if they carry a negative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test certificate. However, in South Korea, the specific targets, scope, and methods have not yet been determined.

Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, mentioned the possibility of introducing the vaccine pass during a briefing on the 29th of last month, stating, "Unvaccinated individuals will likely face restrictions on participating in multi-use facilities or events unless they carry a negative PCR test certificate," and added, "There is also the purpose of protecting the unvaccinated, and it seems there is some inconvenience imposed on them to raise the vaccination rate."

Some have pointed out that this could lead to discrimination against unvaccinated people who avoid vaccination due to underlying health conditions or concerns about side effects. There are worries that if essential places such as grocery stores or hospitals are included in the facilities where the vaccine pass is required, it could inevitably restrict the daily lives of the unvaccinated.

Park, a 25-year-old university student from Busan, said, "Since there are many cases of side effects after vaccination, people with underlying conditions might naturally hesitate to get vaccinated. Everyone’s health condition is different, so how can vaccination be forced?" He added, "Even if the vaccine pass is operated as an incentive, from the unvaccinated’s perspective, it can only be perceived as a penalty."

As the controversy grew, health authorities issued clarifications. During a briefing on the same afternoon, Lee Sang-won, head of the Epidemiological Investigation and Analysis Team at the Central Disease Control Headquarters, explained, "The vaccine pass should be understood as a safety measure or a step towards phased recovery of daily life," and "(The vaccine pass) is more of a social agreement for safety rather than an exclusion, and more countries are implementing it."

On the 1st, a petition titled "Oppose Vaccine Pass" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board. Photo by Blue House National Petition Board capture

However, criticism of the vaccine pass continues despite the government’s explanations. As of 1 PM on the 6th, a petition titled "Oppose the Vaccine Pass" posted on the Blue House’s public petition board on the 1st had received 58,043 signatures.

The petitioner argued, "There are people who cannot complete vaccination due to personal illnesses, constitution, allergies, or side effects, so can vaccination be forced unconditionally?" and added, "Even now, unvaccinated people face social and workplace pressure causing significant personal harm, and penalties such as restrictions on group participation are grounds for constitutional lawsuits due to social division and infringement of basic human rights."

The petitioner further appealed, "Vaccinated people can also get infected and spread the virus, so how will you handle the massive damages caused by restricting only the unvaccinated from social group activities?" and emphasized, "People come before COVID-19."

Currently, seven petitions opposing the vaccine pass have been posted on the Blue House public petition board since last month until 1 PM on the 6th. On the other hand, a survey showed that two out of three citizens support the vaccine pass.

According to a survey conducted by Realmeter, a professional polling agency, commissioned by YTN on the 1st, among 500 men and women aged 18 and older nationwide, 64.4% of respondents said they support the vaccine pass "to promote phased recovery of daily life and increase vaccination rates." Those opposing it due to concerns about personal circumstances and infringement of basic rights accounted for 29%, and 6.6% were unsure.

Park, a 27-year-old office worker from Seoul, said, "Vaccinated people also had concerns about side effects but got vaccinated to achieve herd immunity," and added, "There are research results showing that the risk is significantly lower for vaccinated people than for the unvaccinated, so I don’t understand why giving incentives to them is wrong."

Meanwhile, as conflicts continue, health authorities have moved to defuse the situation. They clarified that the vaccine pass is not simply a means to encourage vaccination but part of efforts to protect the safety of society’s members.

On the 5th, during a regular briefing, Son emphasized in response to questions about the vaccine pass, "The purpose of introducing the vaccine pass is not to disadvantage or discriminate against the unvaccinated, but to reduce and block the scale of outbreaks among unvaccinated people who have higher rates of severe illness and fatality."

He also revealed that they are considering exempting children and adolescents from the vaccine pass. Son said, "We are reviewing exceptions not only for those under 12 who have not been given vaccination opportunities but also for children and adolescents currently," and added, "We are further examining whether to include the adolescent group itself, excluding those under 18 and adults, in the scope of the vaccine pass. Considering vaccination rates and timing, it seems more reasonable to generally exempt them."

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