President Moon Jae-in said Friday the U.S. has promised to directly provide COVID-19 vaccines to South Korea.

Moon made the remark in a joint news conference held with President Joe Biden following their summit talks at the White House.

Moon said the U.S. made the pledge in view of the bilateral alliance and will announce details of the plan as it becomes available.

At the press conference, Biden said that the U.S. would provide full vaccinations for 550-thousand South Korean troops who work in close contact with American forces in Korea. 

He also revealed plans to increase vaccine production through cooperation between U.S. vaccine manufacturers and South Korean high-tech firms.

The two leaders also announced that their countries will form a comprehensive partnership on global vaccine supply by combining U.S. advanced technology with South Korea's production capacity.