[2020 National Audit] "Importance of Influenza Vaccine Response"... Jeong Eun-kyung Leaves Hearing, Ruling and Opposition United

"Overall Vaccine Policy Management, Investigation and Countermeasures Needed After Return," Ruling Party Proposes
Opposition Also Says, "Measures Must Be Taken Quickly... Reduce Public Anxiety"

Jung Eun-kyung, Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, is responding during the comprehensive audit of the Health and Welfare Committee held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 22nd.<이미지:Yonhap News>

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] As cases of death following influenza (flu) vaccination continue to emerge, Jung Eun-kyung, the Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), who oversees related measures, stood up during the National Assembly audit and returned to work. The opposition party also readily agreed, stating that "it is important to alleviate public anxiety."

At the comprehensive audit of the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee held on the 22nd, Commissioner Jung, along with the heads of supervised agencies including Park Neung-hoo, Minister of Health and Welfare, and Lee Eui-kyung, Commissioner of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, attended the committee meeting room in person. Some agency heads participated via video conference.

From the morning of the day, as deaths following flu vaccinations were reported nationwide, questions regarding the safety of the vaccine and the appropriateness of the vaccination were raised during the audit. However, due to the time lag between the real-time flood of media reports and the briefings from agency staff present on site, some questions and answers were somewhat misaligned.

In response, by the afternoon, a consensus was formed that Commissioner Jung should be allowed to return to work promptly to handle related response tasks. It was reported that this was discussed in advance between Kim Min-seok, the Chair of the Health and Welfare Committee, and the party floor leaders. After most committee members had taken their turns questioning past 3 p.m., Kim Sung-joo, a Democratic Party lawmaker serving as the ruling party floor leader, officially proposed this.

Rep. Kim said, "The key issue is whether there is a causal link between the flu vaccine and the deaths. Many members have questioned the KDCA and I believe they have answered sufficiently. Now, it would be best for Commissioner Jung, who oversees vaccine policy, to return and conduct a swift and thorough investigation so that decisions can be made on whether to continue vaccinations and what measures to take," he said. In response, Rep. Kang Ki-yoon of the People Power Party, the opposition floor leader, said, "Since the KDCA is in a position to present countermeasures as soon as possible, having the commissioner return to ease public anxiety is more important than the audit itself," adding, "I fully agree."

Afterward, Commissioner Jung briefly answered questions from Rep. Seo Jeong-sook of the People Power Party and Rep. Shin Hyun-young of the Democratic Party before standing up. In response to Rep. Seo’s request to meticulously prepare a manual and establish countermeasures for the flu vaccine, Jung said, "We will conduct a thorough investigation and carefully listen to expert opinions," adding, "We will examine whether there is a causal relationship between individual vaccinations and deaths or if there are any serious issues with the vaccination." Regarding Rep. Shin’s point that the management system between free and paid vaccinations is dualized and communication is inadequate, Jung said, "I believe it is necessary to establish standards for information communication."