Prime Minister Jeong: "We Will Secure COVID-19 Vaccines Timely and in Necessary Quantities"

Held a Closed Meeting of Relevant Ministers to Review the Plan for Securing Overseas COVID-19 Vaccines

Prime Minister Jeong Sye-kyun

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwangho Lee] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on the 23rd ordered, regarding the plan to introduce the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine, "Closely monitor overseas vaccine development trends and consider the uncertainty of vaccine development success to review additional procurement plans, and meticulously prepare vaccination plans for the vaccines secured in the future."

On the same day, Prime Minister Chung held a closed-door meeting of related ministers at the Government Seoul Office to secure COVID-19 vaccines and stated, "The government's goal to secure the necessary amount of vaccines in a timely manner is clear."

The meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, Minister of Health and Welfare Park Neung-hoo, Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency Jung Eun-kyeong, Commissioner of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety Kim Gang-lip, First Vice Minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance Kim Yong-beom, First Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT Jung Byung-sun, and Director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination Koo Yoon-cheol.

The government had previously decided at the Cabinet meeting in September to secure vaccines for 10 million people through the multinational consortium COVAX Facility and 20 million people through individual company negotiations.

Prime Minister Chung said, "As clinical trial results of COVID-19 vaccines from global vaccine development companies are being announced one after another, public interest in our government's vaccine procurement preparations is increasing," and instructed, "Do your best in the ongoing final-stage negotiations with individual companies and transparently disclose the contracts to the public as soon as they are concluded."