"Entertainment Businesses and Foreign Students First? What About Nationals?"... Controversial Local Government Voluntary Vaccinations and Equity Debate

Busan "Recruiting Foreign International Students Who Wish"... Jeju "Entertainment Workers Priority"
Citizens "Shouldn't Nationals Come First?", "Encouraging Entertainment Industry?" Criticism
Health Authorities "Quarantine Is Reality and Science... Only High-Risk COVID Group Eligible for Vaccination"
Experts "Due to Entertainment Industry's Reluctance to Reveal Identity, Sufficient Quarantine Effect Expected"

On the afternoon of the 12th, an active-duty soldier scheduled for enlistment received the Pfizer vaccine at the COVID-19 vaccination center set up at the Dongjak-gu Community Sports Center in Seoul. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] "Which country prioritizes foreigners over its own citizens?", "Is it reasonable that entertainment industry workers get vaccinated before essential social workers who can't get vaccinated?"

As nationwide mass vaccinations and local government autonomous vaccinations run concurrently from the end of this month, controversy has arisen over the fairness of selecting autonomous vaccination candidates by local governments. This is because foreign international students and entertainment industry workers are included in the vaccination targets.

On the 13th, a post titled "Somewhat Strange Vaccine Priority" was uploaded on an online community, drawing attention. According to the post, Busan City is recruiting foreign international students residing in the city who wish to receive mRNA (Pfizer, Moderna, etc.) vaccines.

The author explained the reason for posting this in the "Humor" board by sarcastically saying, "There is a country where foreigners get vaccinated before their own citizens," and "It's a joke that ordinary people in their 20s can only apply for vaccination in September, so I posted it in the humor tab."

Community users who saw this post also responded sharply. They left comments such as "There isn't even enough vaccine for citizens," "Even people over 60 with underlying conditions couldn't make AZ reservations and missed their vaccination priority," and "It seems they wouldn't protect their own citizens even in war."

In response to this controversy, Busan City explained that they are only conducting autonomous vaccinations by selecting high-risk groups for COVID-19. Ahn Byung-seon, Director of the Welfare and Health Bureau, said, "We did not specifically recruit foreign international students as candidates," and "We are investigating individuals living in places with a risk of group infection, such as shared accommodations and dormitories, regardless of nationality. Since we are receiving lists, the total scale has not been determined."

On the Jeju Provincial Government's "Wishes for Jeju Autonomous Province" bulletin board, posts protesting the selection of entertainment industry workers as the top priority group for voluntary vaccination have been posted. Photo by Jeju Provincial Government, captured from the "Wishes for Jeju Autonomous Province" bulletin board.

Meanwhile, in Jeju, the inclusion of entertainment industry workers as the first priority for autonomous vaccination sparked debate among citizens. According to Jeju Province, entertainment industry workers in the province are classified as first priority for autonomous vaccination along with workers at ports and airports, call centers, academy instructors, and bathhouse workers.

Next are ▲ second priority: social welfare facilities, senior centers, workers supporting counseling and services for the disabled, etc. ▲ third priority: public transportation workers, sanitation workers, volunteer firefighters, and others.

Citizens expressed opposition through the provincial government website and communities. They pointed out that granting vaccination priority to entertainment industry workers, who are not essential social workers, violates fairness and could reduce residents' vigilance. Some even criticized that the authorities might appear to condone entry to and employment in entertainment establishments.

On the 14th, a related petition was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board. The petitioner sharply criticized, "Essential social workers can't get vaccinated due to vaccine shortages, so whose idea was this policy?" As of 2 p.m. on the 15th, the petition had received 381 endorsements.

However, the provincial quarantine authorities maintain that prioritizing vaccination for entertainment industry workers is necessary considering vaccination efficiency and effectiveness. Lim Tae-bong, Head of the Jeju COVID-19 Quarantine Promotion Team, emphasized, "Quarantine is a matter of reality and science. We cannot select occupations for vaccination based on sensitivity," adding, "Currently, 58 confirmed cases in the province have occurred in entertainment establishments, and the families and children of confirmed patients have been affected. It also negatively impacts the tourism industry."

He explained that due to the nature of the entertainment industry, it is difficult to identify contacts, and many indoor spaces lack natural ventilation and mask-wearing, classifying them as high-risk groups for COVID-19.

In fact, the spread related to entertainment establishments in Jeju has not subsided. Among the 168 new COVID-19 cases in the province from the 1st to the 14th of this month, 34.5% (58 cases) were linked to entertainment facilities.

The photo is not related to any specific expression in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

While criticism of local government autonomous vaccination candidate selection continues, some citizens nod in agreement with this policy. They argue that it is simply vaccinating COVID-19 high-risk groups first, regardless of nationality or occupation.

A, a resident of Dongnae-gu, Busan, said, "It's true that I'm afraid because I'm in my 20s and haven't been vaccinated yet," but added, "Foreigners are also eligible for the same vaccination. What if COVID spreads from them because they were omitted from vaccination?"

B, a worker in their 30s, also said, "Hasn't COVID-19 spread from entertainment establishments continued for some time?" and added, "Primarily, the problem is people going to entertainment establishments during this situation, but the ones affected by them are other citizens. This is a vaccination measure to protect citizens."

Experts also expressed positive opinions about including entertainment industry workers in the vaccination priority. Kim Jung-ki, a professor at Korea University College of Pharmacy, said in an interview with YTN's "The News" on the same day, "The spread from entertainment pubs in Jeju and Busan is very serious," and "From a quarantine perspective, because people in this industry tend to avoid revealing their identities, vaccinating them first would have a significant quarantine effect."

However, he expressed doubts about whether all entertainment industry workers would receive vaccination due to their reluctance to reveal their identities. Nevertheless, Professor Kim said, "Even if vaccination is carried out for only a portion of entertainment industry workers, there will definitely be some quarantine effect."

Meanwhile, local government autonomous vaccination is a method where local governments autonomously select vaccination candidates and administer vaccines within the allocated scope, considering regional characteristics and quarantine situations. Autonomous vaccination for those under 50 years old will begin on the 26th.