Korea launched its 2024-2025 Covid-19 vaccination program in October, once again relying on foreign pharmaceutical companies for vaccine supply—a stark reminder of its ongoing struggle to develop and produce vaccines locally.

The government has secured 7.53 million doses from international manufacturers Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax, marking another year of complete dependence on foreign vaccines.

Korea's ambitious attempt to develop local Covid-19 vaccines has revealed significant gaps in the nation's healthcare innovation strategy, raising concerns about its preparedness for future pandemics.

Although Korea invested 13.5 trillion won ($9.6 billion) in procuring foreign Covid-19 vaccines and treatments, it has achieved little in local vaccine development, exposing significant shortcomings in policy and execution.

The most glaring illustration of this failure is that only one locally-developed vaccine, SK bioscience's SKYCovione, made it to market - only to be discontinued shortly after due to low demand.

This single success pales in comparison to the achievements of neighboring countries recently. While Japan's Daiichi Sankyo successfully developed its mRNA vaccine "Daichirona" in Japan in August 2023 and China's SYAO Group received approval for "SYS6006" in China in March 2023, Korea still remains dependent on foreign pharmaceuticals.

SKYCovione used a traditional approach, injecting Covid-19 virus antigen proteins to generate antibodies - a method previously used in flu and hepatitis vaccines. While this proven technology offered established safety and efficacy profiles, the widespread adoption of mRNA vaccines and the emergence of virus variants led to dramatically reduced local demand, ultimately forcing production to halt.

One of Korea's critical missteps was not prioritizing mRNA technology in its initial vaccine development strategy. While this platform proved crucial for rapid vaccine development and adaptation to new variants, Korea failed to invest in this technology early on.

While Pfizer and Moderna advanced their mRNA platforms, Korean companies concentrated on traditional vaccine development methods such as protein-based vaccines and viral vectors.

This strategic oversight was starkly highlighted as mRNA vaccines proved their superior efficacy and adaptability during the pandemic. The country's delayed entry into mRNA development has left it struggling to catch up with global leaders in this crucial technology.

What happened?

The government's approach to funding has been particularly problematic.

While spending 7.6 trillion won on vaccine imports between 2020 and 2023, the government invested only 893 billion won through government including the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Science and ICT, and agencies like the Korea Health Industry Development Institute for local development from 2022 to July 2023.

The dispersed funding across approximately 70 different projects has also diluted the impact of support. This fragmented approach led to several notable failures. Genexine received 9.3 billion won for DNA vaccine development but halted clinical trials. EuBiologics received 9.4 billion won initially and later 18.9 billion won for phase 3 trials in the Philippines. GeneOne Life Science received 7.4 billion won but faces a lawsuit from the government to refund some of the funds after including R&D expenses incurred by its affiliates in its accounts. Cellid received various amounts for different vaccine generations but has terminated several projects.

In addition, companies such as HK inno.N and Daewoong Pharmaceutical also ventured into COVID-19 vaccine development using methods like synthetic antigens and drug repurposing but eventually abandoned their efforts midway.

Several companies continue active mRNA vaccine development, including Eyegene, Quratis, ST Pharm, and Lemonxbio. However, most remain in phase 1 clinical trials, highlighting the significant technological gap between Korean companies and their international competitors.

The government has recently shifted its strategy, with discussions being held on topics such as the ultra-rapid development of mRNA vaccines within 100–200 days and improvement measures for regulatory reform initiatives in September.

This plan aims to secure a groundbreaking vaccine platform with rapid development capabilities by 2028. Over four years (2025–2028), the government will provide research and development support from preclinical stages to phase 3 clinical trials.

The mRNA vaccine project has also been exempted from the preliminary feasibility study due to its recognized challenges, innovation, and urgency.

However, as the government belatedly announces support for mRNA vaccine development, it feels like too little, too late - especially considering that neighboring countries have already succeeded in this area.

Korea’s dependence on foreign vaccines continues

While funds were being wasted, the R&D budget for infectious diseases has actually decreased from 508.1 billion won in 2022 to less than 300 billion won in 2024, demonstrating shortsighted policy-making at its worst.

The latest Covid-19 vaccine procurement for this year’s vaccination further illustrates this continued dependence, with the government securing 5.23 million doses from Pfizer, 2 million doses from Moderna, and 320,000 doses from Novavax - all targeting the JN.1 variant.

Although these new vaccines show improved efficacy against current variants compared to previous versions (XBB.1.5), they represent ongoing reliance on foreign pharmaceutical companies.

Korea's continued dependence on foreign vaccines leaves it vulnerable to price increases and supply chain disruptions. With Moderna and Pfizer both announcing significant price hikes, Korea faces increasing costs for its vaccine imports, further straining healthcare budgets.

The development of mRNA technology is crucial not just for Covid-19 response but as a core capability that will determine Korea's ability to address future infectious diseases and advance drug development capabilities.

While current mRNA vaccines under development may already lag behind virus variants, making immediate commercialization challenging, the technology remains vital for future pandemic preparedness.

The recent pivot to supporting focused mRNA vaccine development, while necessary, highlights the importance of sustained, strategic investment in critical healthcare infrastructure.

As Korea faces future pandemic threats, developing local vaccine capabilities remains crucial.

The past cautionary tale should serve as a wake-up call for Korean policymakers. The cost of neglecting local vaccine development far outweighs the investment required to build robust research and development capabilities.