Prime Minister Bu-gyeom Kim had a meeting with the president of the Pharmaceutical Association and representatives of 7 convenience stores at the government complex in Seoul on the afternoon of the 17th and discussed ways to stabilize the distribution of rapid antigen test kits.
Following the meeting of representatives of rapid antigen test kit manufacturers held on the 13th, the meeting was held to listen to difficulties in the kit distribution sector and to check support measures.
In the industry, Dae-up Kim, President of the Korea Pharmaceutical Association, Kyeong-ho Choi, CEO of 7-Eleven, Kun-jun Lee, CEO of CU, Jae-hyeong Jung, CEO of GS25 Convenience Store, Kwan-seop Shim, CEO of Ministop, Eun-yong Lee, CEO of Seaspace, Jang-wook Kim, CEO of Emart 24, and Hyung-ik Cho, CEO of KORAIL were in attendance.
Prime Minister Kim said at this meeting, "The government plans to supply more than 12 million test kits to the private sector every week. Please do your best."
He also urged, "The public demand for rapid antigen test kits is expected to increase due to the spread of omicron mutations. It is time for the government and the private sector to work together so that people can purchase kits more easily and inexpensively."
He also explained that in regards to simplifying the kit sales to pharmacies and convenience stores and setting the price at 6,000 won, "The inconvenience of the people due to price spikes and frequent out-of-stock should not be repeated."
He continued, "In the process of dividing and selling large-capacity packaging, it seems that the hassle of front-line pharmacies and convenience stores will be great."
(Photo = Yonhap News)