Seoul, Sep 3 (IANS): South Korea on Saturday suspended its mandatory pre-departure Covid-19 test for inbound travellers amid an easing virus wave.

However, a mandatory PCR test within the first 24 hours of entry into South Korea will remain in place, reports Yonhap News Agency.

Meanwhile, South Korea's new Covid cases stayed below 90,000 for the third straight day on Saturday.

The country reported 79,746 new infections, including 323 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 23,497,048, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

The latest figure is down by 9,840 from the previous day and also marks the lowest for a Saturday in six weeks.

In the last 24 hours, the KDCA reported 74 additional fatalities from Covid, putting the death toll at 27,014.

Health authorities believe the virus wave is now on track for a gradual slowdown.

But officials still remain wary of a potential uptick in cases later this month as many Koreans are set to travel to their hometowns during the Chuseok fall harvest holiday, which falls on September 9-12 this year.