Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum has reiterated a call for foreign residents to get vaccinated amid virus resurgence concerns.
"Although cases from foreigners in South Korea have been rising recently, their vaccination rate is relatively low," Kim said Tuesday during a Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting in Seoul.
He stressed that South Korea does not discriminate against foreigners when it comes to the COVID-19 fight and that health authorities are willing and ready to vaccinate all foreign nationals in the country, including those who are unregistered.
Kim added that no one should be left out of safety measures against the virus.
The prime minister said efforts would also be made to push up the pace of vaccination in the next 10 days in order to get 70 percent of the population fully vaccinated by the end of October.
"It's like we are walking on thin ice," Kim said, adding that if the government can stably manage the virus situation this month, then the country will be able to see early implementation of a "gradual return to normalcy" and relieve the pain of small business owners."
