A recent audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection in South Korea has uncovered serious shortcomings in the country’s handling of COVID-19 vaccines between 2021 and 2024. The audit revealed that the Disease Control Agency (KDCA) received numerous reports of foreign substances—including mold, hair, and silica—being found in the vaccines, yet did not take adequate steps to address these concerns. Approximately 14.2 million doses of vaccines, associated with the same batches where harmful substances were reported, were still administered to the public without adequate investigation or recalls.

Starting from the first case of COVID-19 confirmed in January 2020, the audit assessed the response strategies of the Ministry of Health and Welfare and various public health bodies, concluding that the lack of clear roles and responsibilities between departments led to delays in vaccine introduction and insufficient responses to health risks. Between March 2021 and October 2024, the KDCA received 127 reports regarding contamination concerns in vaccines, but they merely communicated these issues to the manufacturers without initiating any precautionary measures, resulting in millions of vaccinations continuing despite known risks.

An illustrative case from March 2022 highlighted the KDCA’s inaction, where a local hospital reported the discovery of black foreign substances in a manufacturer’s vaccine. The KDCA did not respond adequately, merely passing the information to the manufacturer a month later, which confirmed the substance as mold two months later, yet no notifications were sent to other relevant agencies like the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. The audit raises critical questions about the protocol followed during health emergencies and the unnecessary exposure of the public to potentially contaminated vaccines, suggesting a need for drastic reforms in the management of health crises.