72 Deaths after Getting Flu Vaccine in South Korea, China Tells Korea not to Stop Vaccinations, Saying “It’s Essential” for Fighting COVID-19

2020-10-30, Tara O

72 people thus far have died in South Korea shortly after receiving Flu vaccine shots.  Despite the rash of what appears to be vaccine caused deaths, the government is not stopping vaccinations.  Furthermore, China told the South Korean government that it must not halt vaccinations on October 28, 2020 via its mouthpiece Global Times.

The problem was first noticed on October 21, 2020, when the news reported 9 people dying within the same day of, or the day after, getting flu vaccines.  The death toll was 11 as of October 21, after nation-wide reports were compiled.  On the same day, former National Assemblywoman Lee Un-ju (이언주) (then United Future Party, now People Power Party) called on the government to “stop vaccinations immediately and start investigating the cause of death. It is common sense to resume vaccinations when safety is guaranteed.”

Jeong Eun-kyeong (정은경), the Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), however, stated that flu vaccinations will continue, citing its own internal investigation that determined on the same day that there was no problem with the vaccine.  It is abnormal for a public health agency to derive such a conclusion so quickly–within one day.  More deaths followed.  The number of people who died after vaccination increased to 18 the next day.  By October 23, the number of deaths increased to 32.

While the majority of the dead were older, a 17-year old high school student also died less than 48 hours after getting the flu vaccine.  The government conducted an autopsy and quickly concluded that there was no link to the vaccine and that it must have been a suicide, citing the presence of nitrite, which is a food preservative often found in sausage, ham, and bacon.  The police then began investigating whether the high school student took nitrite to commit suicide, and took his iPad and iPhone, as well as all the sugar and salt in the house. 

The teen’s family said he died after getting the flu vaccine, and there was no reason for him to commit suicide.  The student had been studying and was accepted to the prestigious Korea University. (2:20)  The teen’s older brother said his younger brother had no energy and no appetite to even eat dinner the day after the vaccination.  The following morning, the 17-year old died.  The family not only has to deal with the sorrow of the teen’s death, but also the government trying to conclude that it was not the vaccine, by pursuing the suicide fabrication.  

The older brother posted a petition on the Blue House website on October 27, 2020 with the title “Please help exonerate my younger brother from unfair framing of the cause of his death” (제 동생의 죽음의 억울함을 풀어주세요).  This is not the first time the government used false framing to deflect the responsibility for the death of one of its citizens.  After North Korea killed and burnt the body of a South Korean civil servant on September 22, 2020 in the West Sea area, the Moon administration pushed the narrative that the deceased man defected to North Korea, when his family denies such a story.

The Korean Medical Association (KMA), a group of medical doctors called for the vaccination to be temporarily halted, but KDCA took the position that there is no problem with the vaccine itself.  The Moon administration is ignoring KMA’s advice, as it did during the Coronavirus outbreak earlier this year, when KMA implored the government to ban entry from China since late January, especially when about 30,000 visitors entered South Korea from China everyday.  Instead, South Korea provided China at least 6 million masks and $5 million in cash, and President Moon said “China’s suffering is our suffering” and excoriated South Koreans to share the suffering with China and not spare any expense in providing assistance to China.

As of October 25, 2020, Singapore stopped using two types of flu vaccines used in South Korea, after the deaths in South Korea.  There were 48 deaths by October 24, 2020 in South Korea and by October 25, it was 59.

With so many deaths after receiving the vaccine, the public is getting anxious.  People are questioning whether the vaccine that the South Korean government is providing for free is made in China and whether it is imported in order to test the Coronavirus vaccine on South Koreans.

On October 28, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), using its mouthpiece Global Times, told the South Korean government not to halt vaccinations, emphasizing, “there is a need to be rational about a flu vaccine that will help fight this year’s novel Coronavirus infection…although the concern among the public is increasing due to the deaths following the flu vaccination, the flu vaccine is essential in overcoming the twindemic (flu & COVID-19).” (Italics added by the author for emphasis.)  China’s vaccine expert Tao Lina stated “There is no causal relationship between flu vaccination and death, so the situation in Korea is just a coincidence” and “if the (South Korean) government halts vaccinations, then it is irresponsible.”  

It seems the “rational” action is the Singaporean government’s swift action–stopping the vaccinations, at least until they discover the cause of the deaths.  It is unclear how the flu vaccine helps against Coronavirus infection, as asserted by China, unless the vaccine is for COVID-19, or how China was able to assess so quickly that there is no causal relationship between the vaccination and deaths in South Korea.  Moreover, South Korean citizens are asking why China is dictating to South Korea, in this case its internal matter of public vaccinations, especially when South Korea’s death toll is so high and it increases daily.

As of October 29, 2020, those who died after getting the vaccine was 72.