SEOUL COURT SUSPENDS VACCINE PASS

[Anchor Lead]

A Seoul court has suspended the government's vaccine pass mandate on private education facilities, such as cram schools and study cafes. The court accepted an injunction request to temporarily suspend the policy until a related ruling is issued.

[Pkg]

Multi-use facilities subject to the vaccine pass rule can only accept customers presenting proof of vaccination or a negative test result. The government last month expanded this rule to also include cram schools, reading rooms and study cafes.

[Soundbite] "Stop the pass! Stop the pass!"

Parents and civic groups who oppose the measure filed a lawsuit seeking to nullify the mandate as well as an injunction request to suspend it until a verdict comes out. They argue the move infringes on students’ rights to make decisions about their own bodies as well as their right to study. The court has allowed the measure to be suspended until a court ruling determines the matter. Therefore private education facilities will be excluded from the pass system for now. The court believes the mandate discriminates against the unvaccinated. With so many breakthrough infections occurring, the court said it’s difficult to conclude that people who didn’t get vaccinated carry a higher risk of spreading the virus than those who did. It stressed that while vaccines can be strongly advised for virus prevention, the unvaccinated people's right to choose must not be neglected. The court pointed out that authorities should focus more on encouraging voluntary vaccination to prevent a rise in hospitalizations.

[Soundbite] Ham In-kyung(Lawyer(Represents plaintiff)) : "We requested an explanation for why the pass was necessary and the health ministry failed to give an answer."

A court hearing on a separate case that seeks to suspend the pass system’s validity on all facilities, including restaurants and cafes, is scheduled on Friday.