New Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum presided over his first meeting on the country's COVID-19 response Friday, stressing that overcoming the pandemic is the most pressing task.

As the head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, Kim vowed to exert all efforts toward bringing normalcy to people's lives within this year and helping the economy make a strong leap.

The prime minister said he will make sure that more than 13 million people get their first vaccine shot within the year's first half and that the nation achieves herd immunity earlier than the previously targeted November.

Kim pledged to expand incentives offered to those who have completed vaccinations as part of steps toward a return to normalcy.

Instead of tightening social distancing rules and restricting business operations, the government will focus more on ensuring that quarantine regulations are being followed to prevent the virus' further spread.