NEW YORK– South Korean President Moon Jae-in met with the head of Pfizer Inc. Tuesday and talked about ways for “multilateral cooperation,” his office said.

The meeting came as part of Moon’s COVID-19 vaccine diplomacy.

Moon earlier had a series of meetings with the leaders of other global vaccine producers — Moderna, Novavax, AstraZeneca and CureVac.

At the start of Tuesday’s meeting with Albert Bourla, chairman and CEO of Pfizer, Moon said Pfizer has given the world the hope of overcoming the pandemic by offering its mRNA vaccine.

Moon and Bourla then discussed South Korea’s plan to secure additional supplies of vaccines next year. South Korea has a contract with Pfizer to purchase 30 million doses of vaccine.

The president stressed the importance of the early supply of vaccines and requested Bourla’s support, according to Cheong Wa Dae.

Moon then attended a ceremony to sign a vaccine cooperation accord between South Korea and the U.S., joined by relevant business representatives from both sides.

The event is a follow-up to Moon’s White House summit deal with President Joe Biden in May to establish a comprehensive KORUS Global Vaccine Partnership. It is meant to strengthen the allies’ joint response capabilities for infectious disease through international vaccine cooperation, including scientific and technological cooperation.

South Korea aims to become a global vaccine hub.

Source: Yonhap News Agency