The South Korean government said on Thursday that it will soon announce who are first in line to receive one of the around 30 million COVID-19 vaccinations the country aims to secure by next year. 

Health Ministry spokesperson Son Young-rae said on a TBS radio program that while the government is negotiating with leading vaccine developers, it will announce within the month plans on which vaccines will be administered to the public and how. 

South Korea aims to supply vaccines to 30 million South Koreans next year, including doses for ten million people to be procured through the global vaccine purchase and distribution project COVAX Facility and the rest via deals with global pharmaceutical firms. 

Son was optimistic about the success of ongoing negotiations with vaccine developers, citing global assessment of the country’s vaccine-related infrastructure and management systems as well as its purchasing power. 

South Korea has earmarked a 170 billion won budget for down payments in vaccine purchases but has yet to disclose details such as which global firms it is holding talks with.

Meanwhile, Lee Sang-won, a senior epidemiologist at the Korea  Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KCDA), told a regular media briefing on Thursday that the actual administration of vaccines will likely be made in the second half of next year due to the time and preparation needed for authorization and distribution.