President Moon Jae-in speaks during a joint press conference after a summit with his U.S. counterpart, President Joe Biden, at the White House, May 21 (local time). Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae

• ●Korea’s production capabilities and advanced U.S. technologies are teaming up to fight global vaccine shortages, according to President Moon Jae-in.

• ●Korea seeks to use a bilateral partnership to become a global vaccine production hub.

South Korea and the United States have agreed to establish a comprehensive Global Vaccine Partnership to strengthen their ability to fight COVID-19.

According to a joint statement issued after the bilateral summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington, D.C., on May 21, the two sides agreed to “work collaboratively to expand manufacturing of vaccines that have been demonstrated safe and effective, as assessed by Stringent Regulatory Authorities and/or the World Health Organization, for global benefit,” and “partner to meet increasing demand for safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines in a timely manner.”

President Moon said during a joint press conference with his U.S. counterpart that the partnership would combine advanced U.S. technologies with South Korea’s production capacity to help resolve supply shortage problems facing many countries around the world, especially those in the Indo-Pacific region.

“Cooperation between the two countries will also contribute to moving up the end of COVID-19,” Moon said.

As part of the partnership, four agreements were signed, including Samsung Biologics’ deal to manufacture Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine in South Korea.

The biotech unit of Samsung Group and the U.S. drug maker signed the contract during a South Korea-U.S. vaccine partnership event held in Washington, D.C., May 22, with President Moon, Samsung Biologics CEO John Rim and his Moderna counterpart, Stéphane Bancel, in attendance.

Under the agreement, Samsung Biologics will provide “large scale, commercial fill-finish manufacturing for mRNA-1273, Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine,” according to the two companies’ joint press release.

The release added, “Upon execution of the deal, technology transfer will commence immediately at Samsung Biologics’ facilities in Incheon, South Korea, utilizing a state-of-the-art production line equipped for aseptic fill-finish, labeling and packaging services to support the production of hundreds of millions of doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine intended for supply outside the U.S. starting in the third quarter of 2021.”

Separately, South Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare signed a trilateral memorandum of understanding with SK Bioscience, a South Korean biotechnology company, and Novavax, another U.S. vaccine maker, on the research, development and production of next-generation vaccines. Health and Welfare Minister Kwon Deok-cheol and Novavax CEO Stanley Erck attended the signing ceremony.

SK Bioscience was named a contract manufacturer of Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine in August last year and has already started production.

After returning home, President Moon held a meeting with Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, May 24, instructing him to come up with prompt follow-up measures for the South Korea-U.S. vaccine partnership with relevant ministries.

As part of those measures, Health Minister Kwon said, May 25, that the government will launch a senior-level experts group, comprised of scientists, specialists and government officials, in early June to conduct practical discussions.

Minister Kwon said government officials would be from the Health Ministry; Ministry of Science and ICT; Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency; and Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

“Xavier Becerra, the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, agreed with the need to carry out prompt practical discussions to achieve results in the vaccine partnership between the two nations,” Kwon said during a media briefing. “We will cooperate diplomatically, so the United States could launch its experts group at the earliest possible date.”

Kwon added that Korea will use the vaccine partnership as an opportunity to emerge as a “global vaccine production hub,” noting that toward that end, expanding production capacity has become more important.