Speeding up, Yoon's 'National Responsibility System for Vaccine Side Effects'... Victims' Families Say "Government Apology Comes Before Money"

Transition Team Initiates Establishment of Compensation System for Vaccine Side Effect Victims
Focus on 'Broad Compensation' Including Retroactive Application for Underlying Conditions
Victims' Families "Support Compensation Plan but Government Apology Should Come First"
Emphasis on Information Transparency and Retroactive Application for Underlying Conditions

Around 1 p.m. on the 29th, the joint COVID-19 memorial altar in front of the Sora Tower at Cheonggye Plaza, Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunju Park phj0325@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] "Compensation is only natural. But money isn't the important thing, someone died...", "We will keep fighting until the current government apologizes."

Momentum is expected to build for a compensation plan for victims of COVID-19 vaccine side effects. It has been confirmed that the Presidential Transition Committee (PTC) is working on establishing a compensation system for vaccine side effect victims. Families of COVID-19 vaccine victims welcome this decision by the PTC but express complex feelings as they hope for an apology from the current government.

According to the PTC on the 29th, the Social Welfare and Culture Subcommittee of the PTC is discussing the establishment of a compensation system for vaccine side effect victims together with quarantine authorities. Focusing on "broad compensation," the responsibility for proving causality, which had been an obstacle in proving vaccine side effects, is expected to be borne by the government rather than the victims and their families. There is also talk of prepaying medical and funeral expenses to victims and the deceased.

The difference from the current quarantine authorities' compensation plan is that underlying diseases will be recognized. The plan is to retroactively apply compensation to those with underlying conditions for whom proving causality was difficult. This is part of the "National Responsibility System for Vaccine Side Effects," which President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol proposed as his first campaign pledge during the last presidential election. On February 15, Yoon visited the memorial altar for vaccine-related deaths set up by the COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effect Victims' Families Association (Kobackhoe) as his first official campaign event.

The PTC plans to receive additional reports on confirmed cases from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) and then proceed with further discussions. The proposals for the "COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effect National Reporting Center" and the establishment of a "Victim Relief Fund," suggested by President-elect Yoon, are also expected to be positively reviewed.

As discussions on the compensation plan progress, the COVID-19 Vaccine Victims' Families Association (Kobackhoe) expressed "strong support." Kim Doo-kyung, president of Kobackhoe, responded positively, saying, "It's naturally good for us that the new government is willing to do what the current government should have done."

He added, "The government must embrace the people who are suffering as soon as possible. Otherwise, who will participate in the government's quarantine policies when the next pandemic comes?"

However, Kim also voiced frustration over not receiving an apology from the current government. He said, "What good is money when someone has died? We want an apology," and raised his voice, "Isn't it because the current government made mistakes that victims are now out on the streets? Even though victims are so aggrieved that they are protesting on the streets, not a single person from the KDCA has come out." They plan to continue demanding apologies from former President Moon Jae-in and current quarantine officials even after the new government takes office.

He emphasized that the "compensation for underlying diseases" promised by President-elect Yoon must be upheld. Kim questioned, "The government recommended that even people with underlying diseases get vaccinated, right? They were even classified as priority recipients to get vaccinated earlier. But now, they say they can't recognize vaccine side effects because of underlying diseases. How can that be acceptable?"

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is attending the 2nd Secretariat Meeting of the Presidential Transition Committee at the Transition Committee office in Tongui-dong, Seoul, on the 29th, stating that there will be no opening remarks. Photo by Transition Committee Press Corps

Lee Eun-seok, head of the Kobackhoe Jeju branch, said, "I don't feel anything tangible yet," but welcomed that "these discussions are happening." He said, "After losing my mother to vaccine side effects in June last year, I met with other families of vaccine side effect victims, including President Kim, and formed the association."

Lee claimed that the current quarantine authorities are not transparently disclosing information. He explained, "When I asked them to confirm why my mother died, the KDCA gave us a piece of paper saying 'no causality' without any evidence. How can our family accept that?" He added, "In my mother's case, the autopsy report showed a high likelihood of causality with the vaccine." Lee's mother experienced abnormalities after vaccination, went to the hospital, was diagnosed with enteritis, and passed away during treatment.

Lee continued, "I filed three information disclosure requests, but all were denied. The only thing disclosed was my mother's medical records, which I already had. They said they couldn't disclose meeting minutes at all," and pointed out, "The priority is to create a special law that families can accept, and information must be transparently disclosed during the review process."

He urged President-elect Yoon and the PTC, saying, "There are still many people in intensive care units who cannot receive treatment because they don't have hospital fees. You should select medical institutions for them and create dedicated centers for vaccine side effects." He criticized, "It wasn't a personal choice to get vaccinated. Leaving vaccine side effect victims like this is not right."

Meanwhile, according to the KDCA, as of the 24th, there have been 463,589 suspected adverse reaction reports to COVID-19 vaccines, including 1,495 death reports.