The Seoul government has denied a news report that Romania will donate COVID-19 vaccines to South Korea.

Romania's state-run news agency Agerpres reported Saturday that the Romanian government plans to donate 450-thousand doses of the Moderna vaccine to Seoul and approved the donation on humanitarian grounds.

Seoul's Foreign Ministry denied the report in a text message to reporters on Saturday, saying that the report is not true and discussions are underway between the two nations for a possible vaccine swap.

The ministry said that the government has built trust between the two nations by providing the European country with diagnosis kits and other quarantine equipment in March of last year.

An official at the South Korean Health Ministry said earlier that Seoul has pursued vaccine cooperation and exchanges with countries such as the United States and Israel, and that Romania is another country in ongoing talks.