Court Rejects Suspension Request for Vaccine Pass in Restaurants and Cafes... "Public Interest Necessity"

On the 11th, a citizen visiting a bakery located in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, is verifying vaccination status using the 'Safe Call Quarantine Pass.' Goyang-si has been operating a pilot service since the end of December last year that allows citizens to check their vaccination status with a single phone call for a safer and more convenient life. Photo by KT

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The court has dismissed all injunction requests to halt the government's vaccination certificate and negative test confirmation policy (quarantine pass) for 11 types of facilities including restaurants, cafes, and karaoke rooms.

According to the legal community on the 28th, the Seoul Administrative Court Administrative Division 8 (Chief Judge Lee Jonghwan) dismissed the injunction request filed by the National Parents' Association Coalition and the Anti-Vaccine Pass National Litigation Coalition against the Mayor of Seoul the day before.

The court stated, "COVID-19 vaccines have been found to significantly reduce the severity and fatality rates caused by COVID-19 infection, and the prolonged COVID-19 situation over more than two years has accumulated fatigue among medical personnel," adding, "The number of confirmed cases is rapidly increasing due to the recent spread of the Omicron virus."

It further explained, "It is difficult to deny the public interest necessity of temporarily implementing the quarantine pass for certain multi-use facilities to some extent restrict the use of multi-use facilities by unvaccinated individuals alone in order to control the number of severe patients."

Meanwhile, the applicants have appealed against this decision.