Safety Minister Jeon Hae-cheol says the country is on its way towards a return to normal life as COVID-19 vaccination rates continue to rise.
In an interagency meeting Wednesday, Jeon noted that more that more than 77 percent of adults nationwide have been fully vaccinated against the virus with the corresponding figure for those aged 60 and up topping 90 percent.
But the minister remained cautious, saying ramped up inoculations have yet to convert to a rapid decrease in new infections.
Jeon also drew attention to the still rising cases among foreigners, who accounted for 20 percent of all new patients confirmed by local health authorities over the last three weeks.
He said he was seriously concerned about further spread of the disease among the foreign community as their vaccination rate stood much lower than other groups at 49 percent.
