[Comprehensive] Criticism from the Opposition on Kim Moran's Appointment as Blue House Disease Control Planning Officer: "The Person Who Said Vaccine Procurement Was Not Urgent"

"Figure Leading Political Quarantine," "Merely a Favoritism Appointment" Opposition Backlash

Professor Ki Moran of the National Cancer Center appointed as the first Blue House Quarantine Planning Officer / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] The People Power Party is calling for the withdrawal of the appointment of Professor Ki Moran of the National Cancer Center, who was appointed as the first Chief of COVID-19 Prevention Planning at the Blue House. The opposition party claims that Professor Ki made statements that disrupted quarantine efforts, such as opposing the ban on Chinese nationals entering the country and saying there was no need for rapid vaccination.

On the 18th, Bae Junyoung, spokesperson for the People Power Party, said in a statement, "The government's goal of herd immunity by November this year seems distant, with projections even suggesting it could take as long as six years," adding, "Amid this, the Blue House appointed Professor Ki, who led political quarantine public opinion by opposing the ban on Chinese nationals and saying there was no need for rapid vaccination, as the Chief of COVID-19 Prevention Planning."

Earlier, in November last year, Professor Ki appeared on a radio broadcast and, when asked by the host, "Why is the government taking a relaxed approach to vaccine procurement?" she responded, "Considering the current level of patient cases in Korea, (vaccine supply) is not that urgent."

She further explained, "By March or April next year, there will be about 10 vaccines undergoing phase 3 clinical trials," and "Many vaccines will continue to announce their effectiveness, but even if better ones come out, once the Pfizer contract is made, we won't be able to switch."

Spokesperson Bae criticized this by saying, "Why appoint someone who disrupted quarantine efforts as a key figure in quarantine?" and added, "There is great concern in the medical community that this is a declaration to weaken Director Jeong Eunkyung of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and openly pursue 'political quarantine.'"

Yoon Hee-sook, People Power Party / Photo by Yonhap News

On the same day, Yoon Heesook, a member of the same party, wrote on Facebook, "This person repeatedly said that securing vaccines was not important, misleading the public during the height of the vaccine procurement battle," and "Because of this vaccine issue, experts criticized her for 'betraying her academic field to represent the regime.'"

She further pointed out, "It seems the Blue House judged that rewarding those who served the regime and were criticized was more important than calming the public's anger and restoring trust."

There were also claims that Professor Ki's appointment as the Blue House's first Chief of COVID-19 Prevention Planning was merely a reward appointment. Hwang Kyuhwan, full-time deputy spokesperson for the People Power Party, said in a statement on the 17th, "Professor Ki's husband ran as a Democratic Party candidate in the Yangsan Gap district of Gyeongnam in the last general election," adding, "Professor Ki's appointment is nothing more than another reward appointment."

He continued, "The Moon administration's failure in responding to COVID-19 was not due to the absence of a dedicated quarantine position," but criticized, "Even if they created the position as a concession, they should have appointed an expert with a neutral perspective."

Meanwhile, Professor Ki served as the MERS committee chair of the Korean Society of Preventive Medicine during the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak in 2015. Since the spread of COVID-19 last year, she has served as the chair of the COVID-19 Countermeasures Committee of the Korean Society of Preventive Medicine.