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The death of a third-year high school student in Incheon who passed away after receiving an influenza vaccination was found to be caused by sodium nitrite poisoning unrelated to the vaccine, police announced. The flu vaccine, which was subject to a full-scale recall after the discovery of white particles in it, has not been found to have any issues in terms of effectiveness or safety.

Incheon’s Michuhol Police Station announced on Oct. 27 that “an autopsy performed by the National Forensic Service found lethal quantities of sodium nitrite [4-6 grams for an adult] in the body of the late student.” The student, who was 17, was found dead in his home on the morning of Oct. 16, a day after receiving a free flu vaccination on Oct. 14. Sodium nitrite is a common food additive used to preserve the color of meat when making processed items such as ham or sausage. It is highly toxic and can produce carcinogens when combined with other substances; the consumption of large quantities can be fatal.

The police announced that the student was confirmed to have recently purchased sodium nitrite, adding that the exact time and place of the purchase were still under investigation and could not be disclosed.

Stating that the cause of death “was determined to be unrelated to the flu vaccination or homicide,” a source with police added, “We’ve had difficulties analyzing [the student’s] search history because we’ve been unable to unlock his mobile devices.” The police suspect that the student committed suicide.

But an individual identifying themselves as the student’s older brother disputed the police’s determination in a message posted to the Blue House citizen petition board. In a petition posted on Oct. 26 under the title “Clear the false accusations concerning my dead brother,” the individual said, “My brother was ranked at the top of his class in grades and was nearly finished with his university entrance examination, so he was in a minimum state of psychological pressure or stress.”

“In terms of his ordinary radius of activity, he did not venture far from home, his study room, and school. He had no reason to commit suicide,” they continued. As of 2 pm on Oct. 27, the petition had drawn over 18,000 signatures.

Meanwhile, in an announcement the same day, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) said, “Characteristic analysis, antigen content testing, and animal experimentation with the Korea Vaccine Kovax Flu Tetra PF vaccine that was fully recalled after the discovery of white particles showed no influence on the vaccine’s effectiveness or safety.”

“The white particles were proteins that came from the original ingredients of the vaccines,” the ministry explained, adding that it planned to “destroy the recalled vaccine in order to allay the public’s concerns.”

As of midnight on Oct. 27, a total of 10,234,694 South Koreans had received flu vaccinations. The number represents roughly 34.6% of the 29.5 million-person target for this year, or 19.6% of the total population. In the case of people aged 62 to 69 for whom free vaccinations had been made available the day before, 983,693 people (19.7%) had received vaccinations, with 20.9% of them choosing the paid vaccination option.

By Lee Jung-ha, Incheon correspondent

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