‘Booster Vaccine for Deployed Troops’ Domestic Transport Promotion

Regarding the dispatch of the Cheonghae Unit, which is part of the multinational forces carrying out peacekeeping missions in the Somali waters, 74.9% were in favor, and 73.4% supported the dispatch of the Ark Unit, which provides special warfare training to local troops in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Vaccines are expected to be transported from South Korea for the additional COVID-19 booster shots for troops deployed overseas.

On the 17th, a military official stated that they are reviewing the transportation of vaccines for booster shots for three deployed units: the Cheonghae Unit (Aden Bay), Dongmyeong Unit (Lebanon), and Hanbit Unit (South Sudan), and are currently in consultation with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. These deployed units are known to be in locations without local medical facilities capable of administering vaccinations or where early troop rotation is difficult due to mission conditions.

For the Cheonghae Unit, apart from vaccine transportation, an alternative plan under consideration is to administer vaccinations locally with the cooperation of the port country, Oman. However, since this depends on Oman's vaccine supply situation, the focus is more on transporting vaccines from South Korea. In the case of the Dongmyeong Unit, as troop rotation is imminent, the transportation of vaccine supplies for personnel remaining on site is being reviewed.

However, among the four South Korean deployed units, the military believes that only the Ark Unit (United Arab Emirates, UAE) can receive booster shots at local hospitals. There are hospitals with vaccination facilities near the Ark Unit's stationed area, and in the UAE, those holding local residence visas are reportedly eligible for vaccination. Nonetheless, the Ark Unit is also considering sending vaccines from South Korea as a 'backup' measure in case of emergencies.

The Ministry of National Defense has already started booster shots for all domestic troops and plans to ensure that overseas deployed units receive vaccinations as quickly as possible once discussions are finalized. Considering the urgent situation due to the spread of the Omicron variant, it is expected that the implementation will be moved up to next month instead of the originally planned February to March period.

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