South Korea plans to ship over a million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Vietnam and Thailand. 

The Foreign Ministry and health authorities, including the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA), issued a joint statement on Tuesday to announce the decision to help the two southeast Asian countries struggling amid a spike in the pandemic. 

It marks the first time that South Korea is providing COVID-19 vaccines to a foreign nation. One-point-one million doses will be donated to Vietnam while 470-thousand shots will be delivered to Thailand. 

The government said it had taken into account requests from various countries, safety concerns for Koreans residing overseas, as well as the state's New Southern Policy that aims to foster relations with southeast Asian nations. 

Flights carrying the vaccines are scheduled to depart Incheon International Airport later in the day and arrive in the recipient countries on Wednesday. 

The government said additional vaccine assistance for countries in need will also be considered pending the progress with the domestic vaccination scheme.