Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the People Power Party, called for the dismissal of Health and Welfare Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong on Sunday, citing her responsibility for the distribution of contaminated COVID-19 vaccines.
"The Board of Audit and Inspection made a shocking announcement that vaccines containing foreign substances such as mold or hair, or vaccines past their expiration date, may have been administered to our citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic," Jang wrote on social media. "Our citizens trusted the government and rolled up their sleeves, but contaminants were inside those vaccines."
Jang criticized Jeong, who served as Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency during the pandemic and was later promoted to Health Minister under President Lee Jae-myung's administration, for remaining silent on the matter.
"President Lee Jae-myung should immediately dismiss Minister Jeong and apologize for the COVID vaccine scandal," he said.
The opposition leader also took aim at President Lee directly. "Even though it has been revealed that something akin to 'vaccine terrorism' occurred under the Democratic Party government, President Lee's X account remains silent," Jang said. "Where has the president gone—the one who used to post storms of messages on X even in the early hours of the morning?"
Jang called on the government to clarify who among the public may have been affected by defective vaccines and whether citizens can continue to trust the government's vaccination policies.