Contaminated COVID vaccines, national petition for special investigation

Petitioner says "Special investigation needed to investigate appropriateness of administrative response"

People Power Party raises accountability issues against Minister Jeong Eun Kyeong (Former Commissioner)

People Power Party says "Minister Jeong must resign"

Minister of Health and Welfare Jeong Eun Kyeong

Following confirmation by disease control authorities of negligence in the management of foreign substances in COVID-19 vaccines, a national petition has been filed requesting the appointment of a Special Prosecutor to investigate the allegations.

With multiple opposition lawmakers raising accountability issues against Minister of Health and Welfare Jeong Eun Kyeong, attention has been drawn to the progress of the petition.

On the 6th, a petition was field on the National Assembly's e-People service stating, "We request the introduction of a Special Prosecuter to clearly investigate the foreign substance issues reported during the COVID-19 vaccine management process and the appropriateness of the administrative response."

The petitioner demanded a Special Prosecutor investigation into the entire process of reporting and responding to foreign substances in COVID-19 vaccines. The request includes verifying the legality of reporting, recall, and quality control procedures; determining accountability; and conducting a full-scale investigation into potential external pressure or conflict-of-interest involvement.

Furthermore, the petitioner urged the National Assembly to disclose the full results of the investigation, improve systems to prevent recurrence, and restore the public's right to know and trust in public health.

According to the 'Diagnostics and Analysis of COVID-19 Response Status' report released by the Board of Audit and Inspection of Korea (BAI) on the 23rd of last month, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) failed to notify the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) of foreign substance reports. Instead, they handled the issue by informing only the manufacturers and did not suspend vaccination with the same batch numbers despite the risk.

Specifically, between March 2021 and October 2024, the KDCA received 1,285 reports of foreign substances in COVID-19 vaccines from medical institutions but bypassed the MFDS, opting to receive investigation results directly from manufacturers.

While the majority of these cases (835, 65%) involved rubber stopper fragments due to usage errors, 127 cases (9.9%) involved hazardous foreign substances, including mold, hair, and silicon dioxide.

Notably, because no suspension of administration was ordered for the vaccines containing hazardous substances, approximately 14.2 million doses from those specific batch numbers continued to be administered even after the reports were made.

Based on the BAI announcement, the petitioner argued, "There is a need for an independent verification of potential deficiencies in the management and reporting systems, and whether the actions of the KDCA and MFDS complied with relevant laws and manuals," adding, "An objective investigation is also required regarding whether external pressure or conflict-on-interest interests influenced policy decisions during the reporting and management process."

The petitioner further asserted, "It must be clarified whether the administrative agency's judgments were made based on public health principles or influenced by specific organizations or companies. Given that this matter directly affects national health, it is difficult to restore trust solely through internal executive branch investigations. The facts and accountability must be clarified through an investigation independent of political interests."

Separate from the national petition, the opposition party is holding the Minister of Health and Welfare accountable for the contaminated COVID-19 vaccines.

The People Power Party (PPP), citing the BAI report that contaminated vaccines were administered due to management failure during the pandemic, requested that Rep. Choo Mi-ae (Democratic Party), Chairperson of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, cooperate in holding an emergency inquiry.

Shin Dong-wook, Senior Supreme Council Member of the PPP, pointed out during a Supreme Council meeting on the 5th, "We requested the Democratic Party to hold an emergency inquiry into the BAI at the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, but Chairperson Choo is refusing, stating without reason that the committee cannot be convened."

Rep. Na Kyung-won, the designated opposition lead for the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, also posted on Facebook yesterday, "According to KDCA data, there were 485,576 reports of adverse reactions, 2,802 deaths, and 1,285 reports of foreign substances. However, vaccinations were not stopped." Rep. Na added, "I will demand an emergency meeting of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, the immediate withdrawal of government appeals [in vaccine lawsuits], the resignation of former Commissioner Jeong, and a parliamentary investigation."

Rep. Kim Mi-ae, the PPP executive secretary of the Health and Welfare Committee, also stated at a PP meeting, "The status of COVID-19 vaccine management is a total failure that seriously threatens national health. It is a clinical experiment conducted by the state on innocent citizens." Rep. Kim urged Minister Jeong, who was the KDCA Commissioner at the time, to "take immediate responsibility, resign, and fully cooperate with the investigation."