S. Korean PM says to adopt 'vaccine passport' in April

SEOUL - South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Thursday that the country will adopt a so-called "vaccine passport" this month to verify people's COVID-19 vaccination status via smartphone application.

Chung told an interagency meeting for the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic that people who get vaccinated will be able to feel a sense of return to normality only when the "vaccine passport or green card" systems are introduced.

Chung said the government already completed the development of a system, which can verify through smartphone app whether people received COVID-19 vaccines, adding that the development began early this year.

He noted that the system was based on blockchain technology to prevent the identity forgery and theft and to ban the storage of personal information, saying the app will be officially launched in April.

The prime minister instructed relevant ministries to brace for the introduction of international "vaccine passport" to enable South Korean people to go to and from other countries more comfortably in the future.

South Korea launched the mass inoculation on Feb 26, having administered COVID-19 vaccines to a total of 876,573, according to the latest data from the health authorities.

The country aimed to have about 12 million people vaccinated by the end of June among the 52-million population, and to achieve a herd immunity by November.