'Visiting Vaccination' Begins... But Parental Opposition to Adolescent Vaccination Remains

Government to Operate 'Vaccine Vaccination Intensive Support Week'... Vaccinations to Accelerate from 15th
Students and Parents Hold Consecutive Protests Against 'Quarantine Pass', Filing Constitutional Complaints
Experts Say "Vaccination Numbers Will Accelerate as They Increase... Similar Pattern to Adult Vaccination"

More than 60 organizations, including the National Parents' Association Coalition, held a protest rally and performance on the afternoon of the 9th in front of the Ministry of Education at the Government Complex Sejong in Sejong City, demanding the withdrawal of the youth quarantine pass.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Seohyun] While the government is actively promoting 'school-based vaccination' targeting adolescents, opposition from parents with children eligible for vaccination remains strong. The government emphasized the necessity of vaccination, stating that "getting vaccinated is much safer for adolescents," but among students, there has even been a constitutional complaint filed opposing the vaccine pass.

The government announced that from the 13th, it will operate a two-week intensive support period to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates among adolescents. Accordingly, the Ministry of Education completed a demand survey for the 'visiting vaccination' conducted from the 6th to the 12th and plans to begin full-scale vaccinations starting on the 15th.

According to the Ministry of Education, as of the 1st, the vaccination completion rate for 16- and 17-year-olds corresponding to 1st and 2nd-year high school students was 60.2%, while for 12- to 15-year-olds (6th grade elementary to 3rd grade middle school), it was about 7.7%.

Some parents still oppose the government's policy. On the 9th, more than 60 organizations, including the National Parents' Association Coalition (Jeonhakyeon), held a protest rally demanding the withdrawal of the adolescent vaccine pass by visiting the Osong Disease Control Headquarters in Cheongju and the Ministry of Education in Sejong City.

Children and adolescents will be included in the vaccine pass application starting February next year. If they do not complete vaccination within the period, they will be unable to enter facilities where the vaccine pass is required. Among the facilities where the vaccine pass is mandatory are many places frequently used by students, such as cafes, private academies, reading rooms, study cafes, and PC rooms.

Jeonhakyeon and others criticized at the rally, saying, "The adolescent vaccine pass is effectively forced vaccination," and "Mandatory vaccination for students will be a second Sewol ferry disaster." They added, "Despite over 260,000 petitioners opposing the adolescent vaccine pass, the government is not even considering postponing the scheduled implementation in February," and "They are pushing children into a dead end without properly informing about side effects."

Kim Sujin, the representative of Jeonhakyeon, emphasized, "Even though 80% of the population is vaccinated, breakthrough infections and confirmed cases continue to surge. The government is forcing vaccination while infringing on the academic rights of unvaccinated students, so opposition is inevitable."

Additionally, the Legal Action for Restoring Rule of Law Coalition (Beopse-ryeon), the Seoul Education Revival Parents' Coalition, and others submitted a petition to the National Human Rights Commission on the 8th, claiming that the adolescent vaccine pass is a human rights violation. On the 10th, the Student and Parent Human Rights Protection Coalition (Hakin-yeon) filed both a provisional injunction to suspend the vaccine pass and a constitutional complaint, arguing that it violates the constitution.

On the same day, Hakin-yeon held a press conference in front of the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul, stating, "Despite many people suffering from vaccine side effects, the government is forcing vaccination on children and adolescents," and called for the suspension of measures such as school-based vaccinations and school user amplification (PCR) tests, which frighten children.

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum addressed the controversy, saying, "The government could not risk the lives of our adolescents just to avoid criticism," and reiterated the necessity of vaccination, stating, "The side effects of adolescent vaccination are extremely low in both cases and severity, and getting vaccinated is much safer."

Experts suggested that increasing the number of vaccinated individuals gradually would lend more credibility to vaccination. Professor Eom Jung-sik of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Gachon University Gil Medical Center explained, "Just as there was strong opposition before adult vaccination, as the number of vaccinated people increases, the vaccination process will naturally accelerate," adding, "People observe cases around them where vaccination did not cause major problems, which makes vaccination more persuasive."

He continued, "Many advanced countries have already begun full-scale vaccination of adolescents," emphasizing, "In Canada, 80% of those aged 12 and over have completed vaccination, and vaccination for those aged 5 and over has started." However, he added, "Since school-based vaccinations differ from medical institutions' environments, there are concerns about whether appropriate responses can be made in case of adverse reactions such as anaphylaxis."

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