Yoon: "No More Excuses Like 'No Money for Vaccine Development'... Full Support Provided"

Yoon Seok-yeol Visits SK Bioscience for 'Domestic COVID-19 Vaccine Development'
Promises Support Including Regulatory Easing in Meeting with Chey Tae-won

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol visited the domestic COVID-19 vaccine development site on the 25th and said, "We will spare no support so that there is no excuse that vaccine development cannot proceed due to lack of funds."

On the same day, President-elect Yoon visited the SK Bioscience headquarters located in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, and said this, according to spokesperson Bae Hyunjin. Ahn Cheol-soo, chairman of the Presidential Transition Committee, and members of the social welfare division of the transition committee also accompanied him. From SK Group, Chairman Chey Tae-won and President Ahn Jae-yong attended.

SK Bioscience is the first company in Korea to develop a vaccine. President-elect Yoon observed the entire R&D process, from the extraction of animal cells used in vaccine development to cultivation, fermentation, purification, and analysis, and expressed gratitude to the developers for their hard work.

President-elect Yoon said, "In the past, people like President Park Chung-hee often wore helmets and visited large factories and construction sites symbolizing heavy and chemical industries, but I think I will have to visit these research institutes (R&D sites) a lot from now on," adding, "Immense national potential, our people's livelihood, our country's economy, security, and health are all contained here."

He especially promised, "When I take office, the government will spare no support for companies developing pandemic vaccines and therapeutics, including SK Bioscience." He added, "If there are many difficulties in conducting research and development, business, and securing international competitiveness, please tell me to ease them," and "I will actively review and ensure there are no inconveniences."

At the event, Ahn Jae-yong, president of SK Bioscience, said, "The most important things are vaccine safety and productivity, and although the vaccine development period usually takes 10 years, it was very difficult to shorten this period while maintaining these standards," and "To sustain the hard-earned vaccine development capabilities, continuous government support is necessary."

President-elect Yoon responded, "I agree with the government's active investment in research and development to respond to pandemics," adding, "We will respect the private market function and prepare efficient measures within the government's financial capacity by listening to experts' advice." He also said, "At the very least, we will ensure that there is no excuse of 'not developing due to lack of funds,' and I will not forget the developers' requests for continuous efforts in development capabilities."

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol visited SK Bioscience in Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province on the morning of the 25th and took a commemorative photo with attendees including Chey Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group, and Ahn Jae-yong, President of SK Bioscience. Photo by the Transition Committee Press Corps

Chairman Ahn said, "In the future, (new viruses) must be managed as important national risks," and "Building a quarantine system based on data is a task for the new government." He also emphasized, "What SK Bioscience is doing now is truly meaningful," and "I thought it would become a symbol of our country."

Chairman Ahn added, "Vaccines have always been deprioritized in the budget process in the National Assembly, so our country lacked vaccine development capabilities," and "With this opportunity, the new government aims to properly invest and make Korea a vaccine sovereign nation with vaccine development capabilities, and various measures are being prepared."

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