Starting from September 3 (00:00 Korean Standard Time), South Korea will no longer require South Korean citizens and foreigners arriving in the country to take a PCR test for COVID-19 before their flight, Qazmonitor reports citing the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Kazakhstan.
Inbound travelers will still have to register with the "Pre-Quarantine Information System (Q-Code)" prior to entry and undergo a PCR test on the first day after entry (test results registered with the Q-Code system).
The end of strict regulations comes amid the drop of daily cases to an average of 100,000 in recent weeks compared with more than 180,000 in mid-August.
"The weekly number of infections has declined for the first time in nine weeks and the virus is showing signs of slowing down," Lee Ki-il, the country's second vice health minister, told reporters.
South Korea is among the last countries in East and South East Asia to ease up their post-pandemic border mandates in an attempt to boost the battered travel industry.