Youth Opposition to Quarantine Pass Spreads... "Even If We Want to Increase Vaccination Rates, It Should Not Be Forced" Teenagers' Blue House Petition

"Government Violating Citizens' Fundamental Rights and Enforcing Coercion Is Dictatorial Politics"

Photo by Cheongwadae National Petition Board screen capture.

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Amid growing opposition to the introduction of the youth quarantine pass (vaccination certificate and negative test confirmation system), a high school student has posted a petition stating that "forcing vaccination and disadvantaging the unvaccinated is unfair."

On the 14th, a petition titled "Refuting the Response to the Petition Against the Quarantine Pass" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board. As of 9 a.m. on the 15th, the petition had received over 1,180 endorsements.

The petitioner, A, who introduced themselves as a high school senior who took this year's College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), opened by saying, "The reason I posted this petition is because of the quarantine pass being introduced this time."

They said, "Before posting this petition, I thoroughly read the previous petition by a second-year high school student and the responses to it. However, it seems the government has misunderstood the key point of why the quarantine pass is controversial," adding, "We are not opposing 'vaccination itself,' but are concerned about and oppose the 'violation of basic rights caused by the quarantine pass.'"

A said, "I am not criticizing the vaccine itself, and I also acknowledge that vaccination should be carried out to some extent for quarantine purposes," but emphasized, "The problem is that the state is trying to forcibly vaccinate people. They say they prioritize the safety of the people in words, but honestly, if the people were truly the top priority, the quarantine pass should not be introduced."

They continued, "It may seem like benefits are given to vaccinated people, but in other words, this means that unvaccinated people cannot do anything outside except for basic meals," and "The government directly infringing on citizens' basic rights and forcibly suppressing them is dictatorship," they sharply criticized.

Also, A pointed out, "The vaccine is not the only answer," and said, "Before the With-Corona policy, there was no quarantine pass, yet through measures like strengthening social distancing, COVID-19 did not spread as severely as it does now."

On the second day of the 'Mandatory Quarantine Pass' on the afternoon of the 14th, citizens are scanning QR codes. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Then, they said, "The government said that although there are concerns about adverse reactions, most people recover quickly even if they occur, and a compensation system is in place. This response is an evasive answer focusing only on the outcome," adding, "Recovery is of course important, but who is responsible for the time wasted due to adverse reactions? Monetary compensation cannot replace everything."

Furthermore, "I am also a victim of vaccine adverse reactions, and even when I visit the hospital, they say there is nothing wrong. I do not blame the government for that itself. However, for victims like me, refusing the third dose is natural, and if vaccination is forced and unvaccinated people are disadvantaged, that is unfair and deserves criticism," they said.

Finally, they concluded, "Not getting vaccinated is not that person's fault, so why should they be disadvantaged?" and "Please withdraw the introduction of the quarantine pass. No matter how much you want to increase vaccination rates, I think forcing it like this is not right."

Earlier, on the 26th of last month, a petitioner who introduced themselves as a second-year high school student living in Daegu posted a petition titled "Strongly Opposing the Vaccine Pass (also known as the Quarantine Pass) Once Again" on the Blue House National Petition Board. The petitioner opposed the quarantine pass, citing breakthrough infection cases and saying that even if vaccinated, one cannot be assured, and the government is forcing additional vaccinations. The petition received 360,000 endorsements.

In response, Jeong Eun-kyung, Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, said in a response to the Blue House National Petition on the 10th, "The most important goal of the government's quarantine policy is to protect the lives of the people, minimize damage, and restore daily life," emphasizing, "There is no doubt that vaccines are the most effective quarantine measure to protect each other's safety."

She continued, "As the petitioner mentioned 'breakthrough infections' as a reason for opposing the quarantine pass, we understand that some people have doubts about the effectiveness of vaccination," but added, "However, the preventive effect of vaccination is clear. Vaccination not only reduces the risk of infection but also has a 90% effectiveness in preventing severe illness and death."

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