South Korea's Food and Drug Safety Ministry has begun reviewing AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine for authorization.

AstraZeneca's vaccine can be administered to people 18 and older and involves two shots with an interval of four to 12 weeks. The vaccine must be stored at a temperature of two to eight degrees Celsius.

AstraZeneca Korea has applied for two permits, one for vaccines that will be produced in South Korea by domestic pharmaceutical firm SK Bioscience, and another for imports that will be manufactured overseas in countries such as Italy.

The vaccine developed by the British-Swedish bio giant showed an efficacy rate of 70 to 90 percent in Phase Three trials.

The ministry plans to complete the evaluation within 40 days as opposed to the more than 180 days that it normally takes. 

South Korea has secured deals for enough vaccines to inoculate 56 million people from multiple developers and through the COVAX Facility global alliance program.