[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] A current police officer has filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission, claiming that the police leadership effectively forced COVID-19 vaccinations.
According to the police on the 8th, Sergeant Kim Ki-beom, chairman of the workplace council at Gimhae Jungbu Police Station in Gyeongnam, submitted a complaint through the Human Rights Commission's website on the 30th of last month, alleging that the police leadership violated employees' human rights.
In the complaint, Sergeant Kim reportedly claimed, "Contrary to the initial promise that vaccination would be voluntary, the police leadership coerced officers into getting vaccinated." It is also known to include that "executives, following orders from the leadership to increase vaccination rates, compared vaccination reservation rates by police station, department, and precinct, psychologically pressuring the staff."
Sergeant Kim received the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine on the 29th of last month, one day before filing the complaint with the Human Rights Commission. He later disclosed this complaint on the police internal network 'Polnet' on the 6th of this month.
Vaccinations for police officers have been underway since the 26th of last month. On the same day, Commissioner General Kim Chang-ryong instructed all provincial police chiefs during a nationwide video conference to foster an environment encouraging staff vaccinations.
However, controversy continues as cases of police officers being admitted to intensive care units with symptoms such as cerebral hemorrhage after receiving the AZ vaccine have emerged, and frontline officers have raised ongoing objections that vaccinations are being effectively forced.
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