[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Park Soo-hyun, Chief of Public Communication at the Blue House, stated that President Moon Jae-in's meeting with the Pfizer chairman laid the foundation for the government's early introduction of oral antiviral treatments.
On the 15th, Park posted on his Facebook page in a segment titled "Stories about the President not included in the briefing," referring to a news article about the meeting between President Moon and the Pfizer chairman in New York last September, saying, "The discussion about cooperation on Pfizer's treatment was first mentioned during the summit meeting."
Park emphasized, "Since then, President Moon Jae-in has given instructions not only regarding vaccines but also treatments more than once whenever there was an opportunity," adding, "The meeting and consultations between President Moon and the Pfizer chairman that day can be said to have been a solid foundation for achieving these results."
He continued, "The president's summit diplomacy is conducted with the understanding that even if there are no immediate visible results, it will eventually benefit the national interest," and added, "Criticisms at the time questioning why the meeting was held without vaccine procurement achievements are aspects that need reflection."
He also explained that although South Korea was late in securing vaccines, the early introduction of oral antiviral treatments was "a result stemming from the painful experience of relatively late vaccine procurement," and stated, "From the perspective of allowing the public to face the Omicron wave with some reassurance and increasing trust in the government's quarantine efforts, the government's efforts to secure oral antiviral treatments should be evaluated positively."
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