[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] On the 23rd, Go Minjung, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, said "Stop the politicization of the vaccine immediately" in response to the opposition party's claim that "President Moon Jae-in should be the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccine."
In a post on her Facebook on the same day, Rep. Go said, "We should not drag the president into this and turn it into a political dispute as if people are unable to get vaccinated due to anxiety."
She emphasized, "Vaccinations should proceed sequentially according to the principles. About 93% of the eligible recipients have already expressed willingness to get vaccinated. Nevertheless, if people still cannot trust the vaccine, I will be the first to get vaccinated."
Along with this, Rep. Go added hashtags such as '#VaccineInsteadOfDistrust', '#VaccineForAll', '#RollingUpOurSleeves'.
Earlier, opposition members including former People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Seung-min argued that "the president should be the first to get vaccinated on the 26th to alleviate the public's vaccine anxiety." In response, the ruling party opposed, saying "Is the president a test subject?" leading to ongoing conflicts between the ruling and opposition parties.
Kim Tae-nyeon, the floor leader of the Democratic Party, also criticized at the party's countermeasure meeting on the same day, saying, "The opposition's childish politicization of the vaccine during the COVID-19 crisis is shameful and pathetic."
He added, "If there are doubts about the vaccine's safety, politicians need to take the lead by getting vaccinated first. Democratic Party lawmakers have already pledged to get vaccinated first if necessary, even before the vaccine was developed."
Meanwhile, it has been reported that the first recipient of the COVID-19 vaccine in South Korea has not yet been decided.
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