Moon gets AstraZeneca vaccine shot to join G-7 summit in Britain

President Moon Jae-in received his first dose of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday, as he plans to attend a Group of Seven (G-7) summit to be held in Britain.

He received the shot at the Jongno Ward public health center near the presidential compound in Seoul, along with first lady Kim Jung-sook and nine Cheong Wa Dae officials who will accompany them on a trip to Britain in June. The G-7 session is scheduled to take place in the seaside resort of Carbis Bay in Cornwall from June 11-13.

Moon arrived at the facility at 9 a.m. and soon got his temperature, identity and health conditions checked.

He rolled up his sleeve at the request of a nurse.

"Since you are good at giving a shot, it does not hurt at all," Moon said, while receiving it.

After getting the shot, he waited there for half an hour in accordance with a relevant manual and then returned to his office.

Moon presided over a routine meeting with his aides at 9:40 a.m. for around 90 minutes, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok.

This means that Moon has been doing his work "as usual" since right after the vaccine shot, a Cheong Wa Dae official said later on background.

The first lady and the others who got vaccine shots are also in "comfortable" conditions "as of this moment," he added.

The president was quoted as saying during the meeting that it is necessary to speed up vaccinations for ordinary people to advance the normalization of daily lives.

South Korea began the AstraZeneca vaccination program for those aged 65 and older on Tuesday following a delay attributable to concerns about its safety.

Local health authorities stated the previous day that they have found no evidence suggesting a correlation between the vaccine and reports of blood clots.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) has drawn up a priority list of vaccine takers. It allowed an exception for Moon, 68; the 66-year-old first lady; and the Cheong Wa Dae officials, including Suh Hoon, director of national security, for the early inoculation in consideration of diplomacy-related urgency.

The AstraZeneca vaccine requires two shots with an interval of eight to 12 weeks.

They are likely to receive the second doses of the vaccine in mid-May.

The KDCA set the health center as the venue for the president's vaccination. (Yonhap)