Anchor: A parliamentary interpellation session is under way on Monday at the National Assembly. Lawmakers are grilling Cabinet ministers over the slow supply of COVID-19 vaccines as well as Japan’s planned disposal of radioactive water from a tsunami-crippled nuclear reactor in the ocean.
Kim Bum-soo has more.

Report: 

[Sound bite: Q&A with Acting Prime Minister Hong Nam-ki - Parliamentary interpellation session]

On the first of the three-day interpellation session, lawmakers grilled acting Prime Minister Hong Nam-ki and other Cabinet ministers over the slow supply of COVID-19 vaccines.

[Sound bite: Acting Prime Minister Hong Nam-ki (Korean-English translation)]
(Rep. Chung Jin-suk: Why has South Korea become a poor vaccine country?)
“The government has made it clear that it will complete inoculating three million people by April, twelve million by the first half, and achieve herd immunity by November... ”

Since the country started its vaccination program on February 26, around two-point-nine percent of the total population has been given shots. 

Opposition lawmakers say that the program is not running fast enough, and South Korea has now dropped out of the top 100 countries in terms of vaccination rate. 

In a heated debate, Hong said the government will redouble efforts to secure a sufficient vaccine supply and speed up the inoculation drive to achieve herd immunity on schedule. 

Opposition lawmakers also criticized Cabinet members over why the government failed to prevent Tokyo from announcing its plan to discharge radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant. 

[Sound bite: Q&A with Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong - Parliamentary interpellation session]

Following the question-and-answer sessions on politics, diplomacy, security and unification on Monday, lawmakers will focus on the economy, including soaring housing prices, on Tuesday, and then education, society and culture on Wednesday. 
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.