Korean diplomats in Beijing apparently avoiding Chinese vaccines

Korean Ambassador to China Jang Ha-sung / Korea Times file

By Yoon Ja-young

While 97 percent of people in Beijing have received COVID-19 vaccine injections, Korean diplomats in the Chinese capital seem reluctant to receive 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.

According to 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 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, while the remaining one person also plans to receive the shot within this month.

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.

According to the 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. Korea's Consul General in Qingdao also told the newspaper that he plans to get vaccinated in Korea.

While it is up to each person to decide whether to get vaccinated, the Hankook Ilbo pointed out it is not advisable for diplomats to avoid vaccination, since they are expected to come in contact with a lot of people as representatives of Korea.

It also contrasts with other Korean residents in China who have no other option than to receive Chinese vaccines. Ambassador Jang, whom Cheong Wa Dae complimented as an expert on China when designating him as envoy to Beijing, did not receive a vaccine shot and had to quarantine himself for two weeks when he visited Korea for a medical checkup in July.

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.

Rep. Thae, a former North Korean diplomat who defected to South Korea in 2016, however, said it is ironic to see diplomats of the "pro-China" Moon Jae-in administration shunning 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.

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