S Korean diplomats avoiding China's Sinopharm, Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines
Sep 12, 2021
Beijing [China], September 12 : South Korean diplomats in Beijing are reluctant to receive Sinopharm or Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines as they doubt the efficacy of the shots.
More than half of them, including Ambassador Jang Ha-sung, have not been vaccinated yet, leading to speculation that they are shunning Chinese vaccines, reported The Korea Times.
According to Hankook Ilbo, the sister paper of The Korea Times, many Korean diplomats in China are reportedly delaying vaccine injections until they come to Korea on official duty.
According to South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs data submitted to Rep Thae Yong-ho of the main opposition People Power Party, only 35 out of 79 diplomats working at the Korean Embassy in Beijing have been vaccinated so far.
The Hankook Ilbo reported that one of the heads of a Korean diplomatic mission in China who received a Chinese vaccine shot told the newspaper that he trusted the Chinese vaccines despite questions raised by many over their efficiency and safety as they have already been proven.
The low vaccination rate there contrasts with that of the Korean Consulate General in Hong Kong. Among 10 Korean diplomats working there, nine have been vaccinated, reported The Korea Times.
As Hong Kong offers Pfizer vaccines unlike mainland China, where Sinopharm or Sinovac vaccines are available, the low vaccination rate of the Korean Embassy in Beijing is leading to speculation that diplomats there are reluctant to receive Chinese vaccines.
It was reported last week that North Korea also turned down Chinese vaccines, suggesting they should be redirected to countries in greater need, reported The Korean Times.
