Washington (CNN) The United States is turning to South Korea -- a country with an aggressive testing regime that President Donald Trump previously downplayed -- to bring approximately 750,000 more coronavirus tests to the US, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

FEMA, an agency within the US Department of Homeland Security, awarded contracts to manufacturers in South Korea last week to provide approximately 750,000 tests, according to a FEMA spokesperson and federal records.

Over the weekend, the first shipment of 150,000 tests were delivered to the US by SolGent. The next shipment of 600,000 tests will arrive by April 15. They are being provided by two South Korea-based companies, SD Biosensor and Osang Healthcare.

The intent, the FEMA spokesperson said, is to move the tests to a cold storage facility in Louisville, Kentucky, for distribution. Urgent needs will be given priority, according to a FEMA advisory obtained by CNN.

The Trump administration has waffled on its praise of South Korea's testing capabilities.

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