"Is the Vaccine an Overseas Direct Purchase Product?" Kwon Young-jin Apology Demand Appears in Blue House Petition

Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin is participating in a vaccination training exercise held last February at the annex of Daegu Dongsan Hospital in Jung-gu, Daegu.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Choyoung] As Pfizer Korea issued an official statement on the 3rd, stating that the COVID-19 vaccine purchase pursued by Daegu City is considered an illegal transaction and that legal action will be taken if necessary, voices demanding an apology from Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin are emerging.

On the 3rd, a petition titled "Requesting an official apology from Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board.

The petitioner claimed, "Mayor Kwon, this time, responded to contact from a single trading company and said he would mediate the purchase of Pfizer vaccines to the government," adding, "Anyone can see that what he did was unreasonable and driven by his political ambition, causing citizens to become pitiful figures criticized by other cities."

They continued, "The vaccine is neither an overseas direct purchase product nor a smuggled item, so how could such a thing happen?" and pointed out, "They took the lead in promotion but are now trying to back out."

In particular, the petitioner emphasized that Mayor Kwon should apologize and specifically disclose what role Daegu City played in the vaccine procurement process. As of 8 a.m. on the 4th, the petition had received preliminary consent from about 1,200 people and is under review by the administrator for public release.

Earlier, on the 1st, Daegu City announced that it was contacting a German pharmaceutical company in cooperation with the private sector to purchase enough Pfizer vaccines for 30 million people. Daegu City stated, "A local medical professional who has a special relationship with personnel from BioNTech, the German co-developer of the Pfizer vaccine, is negotiating vaccine purchases through unofficial channels."

Mayor Kwon also mentioned through the YouTube channel "Daegu City Administration News," "Daegu City, the Daegu Medical Association, and the MedCity Council sent official letters abroad regarding vaccine supply and distribution and made some progress up to a certain stage, but the next step is the government's responsibility."

In this regard, Pfizer Korea issued an official statement that the Pfizer vaccine purchase pursued separately by Daegu City from the government is considered an illegal transaction and that legal measures will be considered if necessary.

Pfizer Korea emphasized in its official statement on the 1st, "In the pandemic situation, COVID-19 vaccines are supplied worldwide only to central governments and supranational regulatory agencies," adding, "We have not authorized any organization to import, sell, or distribute the vaccine."

They added, "We are currently investigating the authenticity of the matter and will consider possible legal actions against related companies or individuals based on the investigation results," and "We will also cooperate appropriately with related international investigative agencies during the investigation."

As the controversy grew, Daegu City stated that the city did not lead the effort and that the Daegu MedCity Council would disclose the details.