Behind the Scenes of COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters on Facebook... "Faith in the People and Civic Consciousness"
[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] "'The president's dream' was originally about achieving the promised herd immunity vaccination rate, but I could read that it lies in becoming the only country to reach 'step-by-step daily recovery' without failure and overcoming COVID-19 as the 'true world No.1 Republic of Korea.'"
Park Soo-hyun, Chief of Public Communication at the Blue House, shared behind-the-scenes stories related to President Moon Jae-in's booster shot vaccination on Facebook on the 17th. President Moon received the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine as a booster shot ahead of his overseas trip at the end of this month. He had received the AstraZeneca vaccine for the first and second doses, but this time he received Pfizer, making it a heterologous vaccination.
The Blue House explained that President Moon's booster shot vaccination also aimed to promote vaccine safety. After receiving the additional vaccine dose on the 15th, President Moon continued with his busy schedule.
Chief Park explained, "The daily morning tea time meeting with key aides was expected to be skipped or postponed to the afternoon this morning, but it was held promptly at 9:30 a.m. immediately after returning to the Blue House." On that day, President Moon gave specific instructions regarding specialized high school field training.
President Moon said, "Even if labor laws cannot be applied, please ensure compliance with industrial safety regulations and quickly establish measures for areas still lacking in safety."
After the aides meeting, President Moon received a visit from William Burns, Director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, starting at 11:30 a.m., and extended the scheduled time for a cordial talk.
Chief Park explained, "It must have been a sincere hope to convey to the people the strengthening of the Korea-U.S. alliance and progress in the Korean Peninsula peace process."
After lunch, President Moon received internal reports and from 3 p.m. received credentials and held talks with resident ambassadors from seven countries in Korea.
Chief Park said, "From 6:40 p.m., he engaged in a summit call with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida. Despite having been vaccinated, the president did not rest even for a moment and carried out all scheduled tasks normally without wasting a single minute. I wondered what his thoughts were."
Regarding handling multiple schedules, President Moon conveyed, "I successfully carried out many schedules today, and after receiving the additional vaccination, I do not feel significantly tired. I hope many people get vaccinated."
Chief Park explained, "The president's intention was to show the people a flawless performance of his schedule to alleviate vague anxieties by expressing his sincere wish that even one more citizen gets vaccinated."
Chief Park said about the world-class vaccination rate, "'The president's dream' was born from faith in the great people and civic consciousness, and I firmly believe and support that it will become a reality because of that."
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