Daily COVID-19 cases ticked upward on the last day of the four-day Chuseok holiday, reversing course from a steady drop observed earlier in the holiday.
According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Monday, 36-thousand-938 cases were confirmed throughout the previous day, including 202 from overseas.
The tally is up by some eight thousand from Saturday, the second day of the holiday. Infection figures appeared to dip in the early days of the holiday, but ticked upward as more people got tested.
Health authorities had earlier said COVID-19 infections could rise several days after the extended holiday due to increased travel.
The country's cumulative caseload came to 24 million-41-thousand-825 on Monday.
The number of seriously or critically ill hospitalized patients rose by 21 from the previous day to 553. There were 22 additional deaths, raising the death toll to 27-thousand-498. The fatality rate stands at zero-point-11 percent.
The occupancy rate of ICU beds for critically ill COVID-19 patients nationwide came to 32-point-nine percent.