Excluding Unvaccinated Personnel from Overseas Deployment Only Now

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The Ministry of National Defense has decided not to grant overseas deployment qualifications to those unvaccinated against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) after controversy arose over unvaccinated personnel being included in overseas deployments.

According to the 'Defense Current Issues Report' submitted by the Ministry of National Defense to the National Assembly's Defense Committee on the 26th, the Ministry is currently reviewing a plan through the Legal Affairs Department to limit overseas deployment selection qualifications to those vaccinated against COVID-19. This is a belated follow-up measure in response to criticism after the 34th Cheonghae Unit personnel departed last February without receiving vaccines and experienced a collective COVID-19 infection.

According to the Ministry of National Defense, among the 1,010 personnel currently deployed overseas, 56 are unvaccinated. By unit, there are 48 in the Hanbit Unit in South Sudan, Africa; 2 in the Dongmyeong Unit in Lebanon; 5 in the 35th Cheonghae Unit; and 1 individual deployed to the multinational military command in Bahrain.

Among them, the Hanbit and Dongmyeong Units did not wish to be vaccinated, and the individual deployed is expected to receive vaccination locally next month. Of the 5 in the 35th Cheonghae Unit, 4 declined vaccination, and the remaining one had received other vaccines for endemic disease prevention before selection, which limited COVID-19 vaccination.

As of the 14th, among the 300 personnel of the 35th Cheonghae Unit who arrived in the Gulf of Aden and are performing their duties, 295 have completed their first and second doses. They also brought 1,000 rapid antigen test kits for swift COVID-19 diagnosis. The Ministry of National Defense is legally reviewing whether early rotation is possible for the 5 unvaccinated personnel including those in the 35th unit and is also considering local vaccination options.

Meanwhile, regarding domestic personnel vaccination status, the Ministry has completed the first dose for approximately 520,000 consenting personnel (94.5%) out of a total of about 550,000, and has completed the second dose for about 497,000 personnel.