Some 436-thousand doses of the Pfizer vaccine from Romania will arrive at Incheon International Airport on Saturday afternoon at around 3 p.m.

Health authorities said that Seoul purchased the additional batch under a partnership deal on vaccines and medical supplies with the southern European nation.

The arriving vaccines produced in Belgium have expiration dates at the end of October or end of December.

Authorities said the supply comes as 12 to 17 year olds and pregnant women will be vaccinated in the fourth quarter and the time between the first and second shots for Pfizer and Moderna vaccines has been reduced.

The latest batch will be used for the second inoculations of those in the 18 to 49 age group. 

Korea previously purchased over one million Pfizer doses from Romania and also received 450-thousand Modern doses in a swap deal where medical supplies were sent to the country.