Justice Party, Despite Court Ruling, Government Insists on Enforcing 'Quarantine Pass'; "Must First Present National Responsibility Measures for Vaccine Side Effects"

"Prioritizing Proactive Vaccine Safety Measures Over Delaying Tactics Through Litigation"

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] On the 5th, the Justice Party pointed out that "a cautious approach is necessary" toward the government, which expressed its determination to proceed with vaccination by stating it would file an 'immediate appeal' against the court's decision to suspend the enforcement of the youth quarantine pass administrative order.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

That afternoon, Lee Dong-young, senior spokesperson of the Justice Party's presidential campaign committee, held a briefing at the National Assembly Communication Office and said, "Education authorities and quarantine authorities should prioritize presenting proactive vaccine safety measures to ensure school quarantine and youth safety amid the resurgence of COVID-19, rather than delaying through litigation."

Senior spokesperson Lee emphasized, "The Justice Party and presidential candidate Sim Sang-jung agree on the necessity of youth vaccination but have stated that above all, a 'national responsibility plan for vaccine side effects' must be presented first to proactively alleviate the anxiety and concerns of parents and youths regarding vaccine side effects."

He added, "We urge the prompt establishment of practical measures such as transparent disclosure of vaccine side effect cases, sharing of COVID-19 cluster infection cases at schools, and a national responsibility system for vaccine side effects." He continued, "The government should take this ruling as an opportunity to remember that for quarantine measures to ensure community safety and citizens' fundamental rights to achieve balance and harmony, proactive safety measures and sufficient persuasion and consent must come first."

Meanwhile, the government filed an immediate appeal against the court's decision to suspend the effectiveness of the quarantine pass for educational facilities such as private academies and study rooms on the same day.

On the day, the Ministry of Justice stated, "Regarding the request for the Ministry of Health and Welfare's immediate appeal instruction on the Seoul Administrative Court's decision to grant suspension of enforcement in the lawsuit to cancel the COVID-19 special quarantine measure follow-up disposition, we directed the immediate appeal considering the seriousness of the national quarantine system due to the prolonged COVID-19 situation."

The previous day, the Seoul Administrative Court suspended the enforcement of the measure including private academies, study rooms, and study cafes as mandatory quarantine pass facilities until the main judgment is delivered. The court partially accepted the suspension of enforcement application filed by the National Parents' Association Federation against the Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and the Minister of Health and Welfare, stating, "Inducing voluntary vaccination to control severe cases is the minimally invasive measure that quarantine authorities should prioritize." However, regarding the court ruling, the government expressed its intention to "file an immediate appeal."

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