Anchor: The South Korean government has secured enough COVID-19 vaccines to inoculate more than 60 percent of the country's population, while negotiations are under way with global pharmaceutical companies to obtain more. Health and Welfare Minister Park Neung-hoo appeared on the main KBS news broadcast Sunday night and pledged to ensure the safety of the vaccines.
Sam Len reports.
  
Report: Appearing on the KBS evening news on Sunday, Health Minister Park Neung-hoo said the government had promised to secure vaccines for about 30 million people, or 60 percent of the country's population, and is holding negotiations with pharmaceutical firms to secure a larger number.

[Sound bite: Health and Welfare Minister Park Neung-hoo (Korean/English translation)]
 "We promised the public we would secure enough doses for 30 million people, which is enough to inoculate 60 percent of the population, and we are holding talks with individual companies to secure more doses. What's important is to choose the safest and most effective vaccine and to acquire them at an acceptable and reasonable price."
  
The government is reportedly ironing out details of contract terms to secure the safety of vaccines in the process of distribution and supply. This is because some vaccines, including one jointly developed by Pfizer and BioNtech, require ultra-cold temperature freezers during distribution.
  
[Sound bite: Health and Welfare Minister Park Neung-hoo (Korean/English translation)]
"In the case of Pfizer, we need a distribution channel that is minus 70 degrees in temperature. That means a very unique cold chain is required. Not many countries are capable of maintaining minus 70 degrees. No country has 100 percent of its hospitals capable of such distribution conditions. So even if we secure a particular vaccine, only a very limited number of medical institutions can use it and we have to mix different types of vaccines and administer them to the right groups. So the government must secure as many different types of vaccines as possible. We are discussing with experts which groups need to be vaccinated first."

Meanwhile, the government decided to suspend the distribution of discount coupons for culture and sports nationwide, as social distancing rules are being raised to Level Two in the greater Seoul area. Just last month, the government had resumed the coupons in an attempt to spur consumption, however this latest move is seen as the government is putting quarantine above helping the economy.
  
The minister also pledged to secure more than 200 additional hospital beds by the end of this year to treat serious cases of COVID-19.
Sam Len, KBS World Radio News