Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said on Thursday that the rollout of locally developed COVID-19 vaccines will likely come around the end of next year.

The prime minister made the remarks while presiding over a government meeting on COVID-19 responses in Seoul.

Additionally, Chung said that authorities a few days ago launched deliberation for the approval of a COVID-19 treatment developed by a South Korean company.

He added that the country's COVID-19 inoculation will likely begin as early as February of next year using vaccines from foreign companies. 

He said that based on the country's strong quarantine system, South Korea could overcome the epidemic faster than any other country using treatment and vaccines.