President Moon Urges Utilization of South Korea's Production Capacity for Global Vaccine Supply (Comprehensive)

Meeting with AstraZeneca Chairman Solio... "Direct production with SK technology transfer, reassuring vaccination for Korean people"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] On the 12th (local time), President Moon Jae-in met with Pascal Soriot, Chairman of AstraZeneca, in Cornwall, UK, and said, "Korea will actively cooperate to resolve the global vaccine shortage," adding, "I hope AstraZeneca will utilize Korea's production capacity for smoother global vaccine supply."

President Moon stated, "The AstraZeneca vaccine holds special significance as the first and most widely administered vaccine in Korea."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In particular, President Moon expressed gratitude, saying, "Since SK received the technology transfer and produced the vaccine domestically, Korean citizens could receive the vaccine with greater confidence. Additionally, this marked an important first step for Korea to emerge as a global vaccine production hub."

President Moon also said, "Thanks to your leadership and bold development of new drugs, the COVID-19 vaccine was developed rapidly. Especially, your focus on the swift supply of vaccines rather than imports has provided significant help worldwide."

Chairman Soriot said, "It is a great pleasure and honor to meet you, Mr. President. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me."

Meanwhile, the Blue House stated, "President Moon reviewed the achievements of cooperation that enabled Korea to become a global vaccine hub not only by improving the health of our people but also through technology transfer and production collaboration. He urged continued cooperation for the stable production and supply of COVID-19 vaccines and ongoing collaboration in the biohealth sector."