Court Orders State Compensation for Prospective Teacher's Vaccine Death

A court ruling has been issued stating that the government must provide compensation to the family of a prospective teacher in her 20s who died from suspected symptoms of a rare condition (TTS), which can cause low platelets and blood clots following COVID-19 vaccination. This ruling acknowledges the state's responsibility for vaccine side effects.

Lee Yu-bin, who was preparing to become an elementary school teacher, received the Moderna vaccine on July 26, 2021. She developed symptoms four days after vaccination and died on August 7, 2021, 12 days after receiving the shot, from a stroke caused by blood clots. The Jeju health authorities requested the KDCA to conduct a test for Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome to confirm a vaccine side effect, but the KDCA did not conduct an immediate test, citing the World Health Organization's (WHO) opinion. Nine days after the Jeju health authorities requested the test based on overseas cases, the test was conducted only after her death was pronounced.

The government's damage investigation panel estimated the cause of Ms. Lee's death as Antiphospholipid Syndrome and denied a causal link between the COVID-19 vaccine and her death, refusing compensation. The KDCA decided to offer a death condolence payment for Ms. Lee's case, considering it a clinically unique case, her young age, and a lack of evidence. Although the bereaved family filed an appeal, the KDCA dismissed it in February 2024, and the family filed an administrative lawsuit in April of the same year.

The court determined that a causal relationship between vaccination and illness does not need to be medically or scientifically proven with absolute certainty. It stated that the causal link can be inferred if it can be presumed based on indirect factual circumstances and other considerations. The court cited Ms. Lee's development of adverse symptoms the day after vaccination, her hospitalization for severe thrombosis four days later, and her subsequent death as grounds for recognizing the close temporal proximity between vaccination, the onset of thrombosis, and death. The court also did not accept the possibility of Antiphospholipid Syndrome, which the KDCA presented as its main basis for denying a causal link. Based on a comprehensive assessment, the court ruled that a significant causal relationship could be inferred between Ms. Lee's death and the vaccination, acknowledging the state's responsibility for compensation.

This ruling demonstrates the court's judgment that even if the causal link between vaccination and death following COVID-19 vaccination is not medically or scientifically clear, it can be inferred by considering indirect factual circumstances and other factors. It is expected to influence compensation procedures for similar cases in the future.