Nearly half of recovered COVID-19 patients in South Korea who have developed antibodies were found to have the virus in their systems.

The finding was revealed Wednesday in interim test results on novel coronavirus patients after recovery.

According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(KCDC), all 25 patients studied had developed neutralizing antibodies after contracting COVID-19, but 12 of them, or 48 percent, still tested positive for the virus in genetic testing.

KCDC chief Jung Eun-kyeong said the study suggests the duration of the virus' detection in the body could differ from one patient to another.

In a follow-up culture test, all 12 patients tested negative.

The KCDC said it is conducting additional research on the findings.