The first batch of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, enough for 27,500 people, arrived in South Korea on Tuesday, health authorities said.

The first batch of 55,000 bottles is part of a contract for 40 million doses signed between the Seoul government and the US pharmaceutical company.

The vaccine was initially scheduled to be delivered Monday but was delayed one day due to "local circumstances" in the United States.

The vaccine will be administered to health care workers under the age of 30 starting in mid-June.

Moderna's vaccine is the third COVID-19 vaccine to arrive here after those from AstraZeneca and Pfizer Inc.

The country has secured enough shots to fully vaccinate 99 million people, more than enough to vaccinate its entire population, including doses from the COVAX Facility project.

South Korea has completed the inoculation of 5.79 million of the country's 52 million population. (Yonhap)