SK Bioscience's vaccine manufacturing plant in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province / Courtesy of SK Bioscience

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol will visit homegrown vaccine producer SK Bioscience on Monday and emphasize vaccine sovereignty amid the country's fight against the novel coronavirus, his spokesperson said.

Yoon is scheduled to visit SK Bioscience's headquarters in Seongnam, south of Seoul, where he will inspect the company's latest research and development efforts in COVID-19 vaccine production, according Yoon's spokesperson Bae Hyun-jin.

"Yoon will encourage researchers there who are working with a sense of duty in regard to securing COVID-19 vaccine sovereignty," Bae said. "Yoon's government will have a deep interest and put its best effort forward on anything related to protection of people's lives."

Yoon previously visited SK Bioscience's factory in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, in September.

The president-elect will be accompanied by SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won during his visit to SK Bioscience.

It will be the third time that Yoon has met Chey, who is also the chief of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), since his election.

The two encountered each other in a meeting of six business organizations last month and an event for the 2030 World Expo in Busan on Friday. (Yonhap)