"Vaccine Not Urgent" Statement by Professor Ki Moran, Appointed as Blue House Quarantine Planning Officer
Opposition Criticizes "Incompetence in Securing Vaccines... Burden Falls Entirely on the People"
[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Amid growing public concern over delays in COVID-19 vaccine administration, the People Power Party has strongly criticized the government's vaccine procurement and quarantine policies.
While countries with high COVID-19 vaccination rates such as Israel, the United Kingdom, and the United States are preparing to return to normal life one after another, South Korea's vaccination rate ranks among the lowest within the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member countries.
Meanwhile, on the 16th, during a cabinet reshuffle, the government appointed Professor Ki Moran of the National Cancer Center, who stated that "there is no need to rush the introduction of COVID-19 vaccines," as the Blue House's Quarantine Planning Officer, sparking strong criticism that the government is showing no intention to respond swiftly to vaccine procurement.
On the 18th, People Power Party spokesperson Bae Jun-young issued a statement saying, "President Moon Jae-in reassured the public through a video call with the CEO of Moderna at the end of last year. Some even suspect it was a show," pointing out, "Currently, South Korea's COVID-19 vaccination rate is below 3%, ranking at the bottom among OECD countries."
He continued, "Meanwhile, the Blue House opposed banning entry of Chinese nationals and appointed Professor Ki, who led political quarantine public opinion by saying there is no need for rapid vaccination, as the Quarantine Planning Officer," and criticized, "Why appoint someone who disrupted quarantine as a key figure in quarantine? There is great concern in the medical community that this is a declaration to openly engage in 'political quarantine' by weakening the authority of Director Jeong Eun-kyeong of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency."
Earlier, in November last year, Professor Ki appeared on TBS Radio's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' and said, "Considering the level of patient cases, vaccines are not so urgent worldwide," and "It is fortunate that other countries are vaccinating first to reveal risks such as side effects."
Professor Ki also made remarks supporting the government's quarantine policies, such as "We have contracted for Pfizer vaccines, but if better ones come out, we won't be able to switch," and "The vaccine procurement issue is not a fault of the government."
Professor Ki Moran of the National Cancer Center, appointed as the Blue House Quarantine Planning Officer. Photo by Yonhap News
In response, opposition parties flooded with criticism calling it a 'favor appointment.' On the 17th, People Power Party full-time deputy spokesperson Hwang Gyu-hwan issued a statement saying, "Professor Ki's husband ran as a Democratic Party candidate in the Gyeongnam Yangsan Gap district in the last general election," pointing out, "This is why Professor Ki's appointment is nothing more than another favor appointment."
He added, "Moreover, Professor Ki has made statements that cast doubt on her qualifications as an expert and has shown political bias," and criticized, "Ignoring public anxiety, she has made sophistries to unilaterally defend the government, which was incompetent in securing vaccines. If such a person performs quarantine duties, the damage from that incompetence will fall entirely on the people."
On the same day, People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Hee-sook wrote on Facebook, "This person (Professor Ki) repeatedly said that securing vaccines was not important, misleading the general public during the height of the vaccine procurement battle," and criticized, "Since it is the end of the administration, it seems they judged that rewarding those who served the administration and were criticized was more important than calming the public's anger and restoring trust."
She continued, "It is hard to expect that such a person would make the right decisions now by reversing her past statements," and pointed out, "Above all, for the people enduring frustration, it would be more important to find an expert who has insisted on the urgency of vaccine procurement and accurately assessed the situation, and seat that person in this position."
Meanwhile, South Korea's current vaccination rate ranks 35th out of 37 OECD member countries, placing it near the bottom. Initially, the government planned to vaccinate 12 million people in the first half of this year and achieve 'herd immunity' by vaccinating 70% of the entire population by November. However, as of the 18th, only 1,512,503 people have been vaccinated domestically, accounting for just 2.91% of the total population (52 million).
The government has confirmed securing a total of 79 million vaccine doses so far. Through contracts with pharmaceutical companies, it secured 10 million doses of AstraZeneca (AZ), 13 million doses of Pfizer, 6 million doses of Janssen, 20 million doses of Moderna, and 20 million doses of Novavax, and agreed to receive 10 million doses through the international vaccine joint purchase project 'COVAX Facility.' Among these, a total of 18,088,000 doses are scheduled to be introduced domestically in the first half of the year.
However, due to side effects such as blood clots from AZ and Janssen vaccines, demand for Moderna and Pfizer vaccines has increased, and with the global trend of 'vaccine nationalism' spreading, concerns are rising that domestic vaccine supply may also face disruptions.
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