The main opposition People Power Party(PPP) called for President Moon Jae-in to assume responsibility over concerns about delays in the country's COVID-19 vaccinations at a time when other countries have already started inoculation.

PPP Floor Leader Joo Ho-young told reporters on Wednesday that South Korea ranks 34th among the 37 member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development(OECD) in terms of the amount of vaccines it has secured.  

Party lawmakers also denounced the presidential office’s statement issued earlier on Tuesday regarding vaccines.  

On the top office urging some media outlets to stop politicizing the vaccine issue, PPP legislators said there is no political issue more pending than COVID-19 vaccines.  

Lawmakers also took issue with the government's initial budget plan for next year not including funds to purchase vaccines, saying they can’t help but wonder why the president didn’t include such funds from the beginning if he thought they were so important. 

PPP legislators also denounced the presidential office’s remark that Moon issued over ten orders to related agencies about efforts to develop COVID-19 vaccines and treatments and to secure them in sufficient quantities, accusing him of passing the buck to those agencies. 

They said the president should issue an apology to the public for causing concern and disappointment.