South Korea will launch a government-civilian joint task force this week to support the development of coronavirus vaccines and treatments.

Presidential deputy spokesperson Yoon Jae-kwan said on Sunday that the planned team will be comprised of top-level officials from the health, science, finance, trade and startup ministries, as well as the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Yoon said civilian experts will also join the team, which will carry out a comprehensive review of relevant situations and establish a swift decision-making system to facilitate the development process. 

The move comes after President Moon Jae-in called for "pan-governmental" support for the development of COVID-19 medicine and vaccines during his visit last week to a research center specializing in infectious diseases.