The head of the country's disease control agency has apologized for the fiasco over mishandled flu vaccines which were left unrefrigerated for a time during the distribution process. 

Jeong Eun-kyeong, director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), said Wednesday during a parliament audit that she is sorry the issue has caused public concern.

She promised cooperation with related agencies to improve vaccine management and distribution to prevent a similar mishap from occurring in the future.

Jeong said that based on inspections and expert advisory, the exposed vaccines are found to have no problems regarding safety. She explained the 12 people who received the flu shots and reported unusual reactions have now all recovered from their mild symptoms.

She said authorities will take this opportunity to examine any loopholes in vaccination projects across the board to come up with improved measures.

The disease control chief also vowed to suppress the COVID-19 outbreak to a level manageable by South Korea's healthcare, quarantine and social system.