"Happy Family Shattered" Surge of 청 국민 Petitions Complaining of 'Vaccine Side Effects'

"Government Only Focused on Raising Vaccination Rate" Hundreds of Vaccine-Related Cheong Petitions
Health Authorities "Working to Establish Evidence for Causality Assessment"

A petition on the Blue House National Petition Board stating that they experienced adverse reactions after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. / Photo by Blue House website capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] "Don't just tell us to get vaccinated; you need to ease our worries about side effects."

Posts on the Blue House's national petition board complaining about side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine are being uploaded almost daily. On the 14th, a post titled "A family's happiness shattered by Pfizer vaccination" was uploaded to the Blue House national petition board. The petitioner, Mr. A, who identified himself as the father of twins, lamented that his wife has been gradually losing her eyesight after receiving the vaccine.

Mr. A explained, "One day after receiving the Pfizer vaccine, my wife developed metamorphopsia in her left eye, where objects appeared distorted. We visited a local ophthalmologist with a light heart but received no abnormal findings. Suspecting an optic nerve issue, we also had an MRI, but it showed no abnormalities. Over time, her vision rapidly deteriorated, and the metamorphopsia worsened."

He continued, "My wife is now afraid to open her eyes, saying the children's faces look distorted like goblins," adding, "Watching my wife cry out in despair and fear is tearing my heart apart. It is beyond my personal capacity and overwhelming to clarify the medical causal relationship with the vaccine."

He then appealed to the government and health authorities, demanding △ acknowledgment of side effects rather than increasing vaccination rates through policies like vaccine passes △ development of testing methods to verify side effects △ establishment of medical systems and compensation plans △ measures for those who refuse vaccination due to underlying conditions or health concerns.

On the morning of the 21st of last month, medical staff are administering vaccines at the COVID-19 vaccination center in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul.
Photo by Yonhap News

Currently, hundreds of posts are uploaded on the Blue House national petition board from people who have suffered adverse reactions after vaccination or are urging vaccine-related measures. Most of these posts state that they have not received clear answers about side effects from health authorities or have been told that causality is not recognized. Although suspected to be vaccine-related damage, citizens can only anxiously wait for causality results and seem to be expressing their frustration through petitions.

According to the COVID-19 Vaccination Response Promotion Team (Promotion Team), as of the 15th, there have been 374,456 reports of suspected adverse reactions after vaccination. Among these, 3,416 cases were subject to review, but causality was recognized in only 477 cases, including 2 deaths, 5 severe illnesses, and 470 cases of anaphylaxis.

Citizens criticize the government and health authorities for only recommending vaccination without showing reliable responses to side effects. They question how they can trust and get vaccinated if the government continues to respond passively in situations where adverse reactions can be severe or even fatal.

In another petition complaining about vaccine adverse reactions, petitioner Mr. B said, "In this reality where deaths or paralysis from aftereffects quietly disappear, the government still only shouts for 100% vaccination achievement," adding, "Where and to whom should the people, who only trusted and got vaccinated, complain? How does the president feel about this reality where people suffering from aftereffects have to bear hospital costs themselves?"

The health authorities stated that they are conducting research to establish scientific evidence necessary for causality assessment. On the 15th, Park Byungjoo, chairman of the COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Committee, said in an interview with KBS Radio's 'Choi Kyungyoung's Strong Current Affairs,' "the time since the vaccine was developed and started to be administered is very short. Research on the vaccine is still insufficient," explaining, "Causality must be determined based on scientific evidence, but since the evidence has not yet been secured, many cases remain in a pending state."

He added, "To provide accurate information, we will analyze overseas research results, domestic vaccination data, adverse reaction reports, medical information, and Statistics Korea death data to establish evidence for causality evaluation of adverse reactions."

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