South Korea has extended its "special travel advisory" by another month, calling on citizens to cancel or postpone trips abroad as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

The Foreign Ministry announced on Friday that the advisory will be extended starting from Saturday.  

The government first issued the special advisory on March 23 for three months on all countries and territories amid the spread of the virus. Since June, the advisory has continuously been extended by a month. 

The ministry said it reached the latest decision after taking into account the continued spread of COVID-19 around the world and the fact that many countries have kept their entry bans or restrictions in place and have suspended flight operations.  

The ministry also said the decision was aimed at preventing South Koreans from getting infected while stressing that refraining from overseas travel is crucial to quarantine efforts at home.