"Get Vaccinated and Eat Tteokbokki"... Backlash Against Ministry of Education's 'Vaccination Recommendation' Webtoon

Netizens "Are We Being Told to Get Vaccinated Because of Tteokbokki?"

A webtoon released by the Ministry of Education on the 7th to encourage COVID-19 vaccination among teenagers. / Photo by Ministry of Education official blog

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] The Ministry of Education is facing backlash from netizens after posting a webtoon on its official social media accounts recommending COVID-19 vaccination for teenagers.

On the 7th, the Ministry posted a 12-panel webtoon titled "Why did the friends who went to eat Tteokbokki take it to go?" on its promotional blog and Twitter.

The webtoon depicts two students entering a store to buy Tteokbokki, but one student has to take it to go because they are unvaccinated. The vaccinated student then asks the unvaccinated one, "Why didn't you get vaccinated?" leading to a conversation about vaccines.

When the unvaccinated student replies, "I'm scared of side effects," the vaccinated student explains, "The side effects of the vaccine in teenagers occur at a rate of about 300 cases per 100,000, which is lower than in adults," and "Even if you get vaccinated, you can still get infected, but I heard the vaccine is very effective at preventing severe illness."

They continue, "The frequency of adverse reactions and major side effects like anaphylaxis in our age group is lower than the numbers reported for those aged 19 and older. Also, 83% of anaphylaxis cases occur during the observation period after vaccination, so patients receive immediate treatment at the hospital and recover," reassuring the unvaccinated student.

The unvaccinated student says, "Talking with you has eased some of my worries and given me courage," and the two conclude, "Then let's get vaccinated and definitely eat Tteokbokki together next time," ending the webtoon.

Netizens reacted with disbelief, saying things like, "Are they telling us to get vaccinated just to eat Tteokbokki?" In the comments on the post, netizens expressed discomfort with remarks such as, "Who wouldn't get vaccinated if safety was guaranteed? But there's always a chance of side effects, and it could be me," "If you won't take responsibility, please don't involve children," and "Are children supposed to risk their lives just to eat Tteokbokki?"

Earlier, on the 4th, a court partially accepted a request from a parents' group to suspend the enforcement of the vaccine pass (proof of vaccination or negative test) for academies, study rooms, and study cafes. As a result, the youth vaccine pass is currently temporarily suspended.

However, the government stated it will continue to encourage COVID-19 vaccination for teenagers regardless of this decision. The government immediately appealed the court's suspension order. The youth vaccine pass for multi-use facilities such as restaurants and cafes is scheduled to be implemented starting March 1.

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