The Korean government has concluded deals with global pharmaceutical giants Janssen of Johnson and Johnson and Pfizer to purchase vaccines against COVID-19 for its population. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun announced the progress in a press release held on 24 Dec 2020.

"The deal with Janssen will bring in six million doses, or two million more than originally planned. We will start administering them from next year's second quarter. Government agreed to import 10 million vaccine doses from Pfizer from the third quarter next year. National-level efforts and negotiations to move up the supply schedule to the second quarter are underway" Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun added.

"The government will thoroughly see if the first vaccines administered are safe and efficient enough, and meticulously work to allow people to get vaccinated as quickly and safely as possible," he added.

Korean government has secured vaccines for ten million people from the COVAX facility along with another 34 million doses from pharmaceutical companies.