The government says talks are underway with global pharmaceutical companies to import edible COVID-19 treatment within this year.

Senior health ministry official Son Young-rae, during Thursday's closed-door briefing, said the government is negotiating with global pharmaceutical companies to move up the shipment schedule of the pills to South Korea, details of which will be announced once they're fixed. 

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) has previously said it has secured antiviral drugs for over 400-thousand people which will arrive in the country in phases from February, next year.

But amid the soaring number of new infections on top of confirmed cases of the new omicron variant, authorities are seeking to get the pills at an earlier date.

This follows President Moon Jae-in's call on Monday, to move up the date from February, next year to within this month.