The first agreement is with the Korea National Institute of Health, an agency of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Agency, to collaborate on mRNA vaccine research, while the second is with the federal government's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and its Ministry of Health and Welfare to explore mRNA vaccine manufacturing opportunities, the company said.

In other Moderna news, the firm has entered into a manufacturing services and supply agreement with Samsung Biologics under which Samsung will manufacture Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine for markets outside of the U.S. Samsung will use its facilities in Incheon for aseptic fill-finish, labeling, and packaging services to support hundreds of millions of doses of the vaccine intended to supply markets outside of the U.S. This agreement will begin in the third quarter of this year.

The South Korean government authorized use of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine on May 21 and has purchased 40 million doses.