DEATH ON PUBLIC DUTY RECOGNITION

[Anchor Lead]

The death of a postal delivery worker in his 20s who passed away after getting vaccinated against COVID-19 has been recognized as death on public duty. It's the first instance of recognizing a line-of-duty death for someone who was inoculated in order to perform official duties.

[Pkg]

25-year-old Kim Won-young, who took in his mother's footsteps when choosing his profession, passed away last August. He was found dead three days after receiving a second Pfizer shot.

[Soundbite] Kong Jung-hee(Late Kim Won-young's mother) : "We gave him CPR as the rescue service told us. They arrived soon after but his heart had stopped beating. I don't remember what happened after that."

The National Forensic Service found that Kim's death was caused by myocarditis following vaccination against COVID-19. Before becoming a postal delivery worker, Kim was known to be a healthy taekwondo master. A health exam he underwent ten days before receiving the first dose showed he had no cardiovascular diseases. Kim's family said he died after getting immunized in order to perform his official duties. The job of a postal delivery worker involves delivering mail as well as sorting parcels and mail in large groups.

[Soundbite] Kim Hyo-young(Late Kim Won-young's sister) : "He was in the priority group for vaccination. He had no other choice."

The Ministry of Personnel Management has recognized Kim's death as work related. The ministry said its decision is based on the fact that the KDCA recently recognized the causal link between vaccination and myocarditis and that postal workers were pressured to get vaccinated. It's the first recognition of a line-of-duty death for a public official due to adverse effects of vaccination.

[Soundbite] Kim Dong-min(Labor attorney) : "The recognition of a line-of-duty death linked to a vaccine side effect carries meaning."

More instances of recognizing line-of-duty deaths due to vaccine side effects are expected in the future.