South Korea will resume visa-free entry for international travelers starting next month amid continued signs of declining COVID-19 infections in the country.

Interior and safety minister Jeon Hae-cheol, who doubles as the deputy head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said on Wednesday that the visa waiver program will resume at Jeju International Airport on June 1.

The program in Jeju was initially installed in 2002 to boost tourism on the resort island but has been suspended since February of 2020 in the wake of the country's first reports of COVID-19 cases.

Citizens from all but 24 countries designated by the justice minister, including Iran, Sudan and Syria, may stay in Jeju up to 30 days without a visa. 

The visa-free program will also be put in place at Yangyang International Airport in Gangwon for travelers from June 1. Group tourists from four Asian countries – Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia and Mongolia – will be eligible for the waiver, which is to be enacted ahead of international events in the province.

Under the program, international tourists can stay for up to 30 days without a visa.