South Korea's new COVID-19 cases bounced back to above 70,000 in two months on Tuesday in a sign that the virus may surge again in the winter.

The country reported 72,883 new COVID-19 infections, including 50 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 26,290,877, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said.

It marked a sharp rise from 23,765 on Monday, and it is the highest tally since Sept. 15 when there were 71,444 new infections.

South Korea's COVID-19 outbreaks have recently shown an on-week increase, with authorities warning against a possible wintertime resurgence.

The previous wave of the omicron subvariant peaked at over 180,000 cases on Aug. 17.

South Korea added 39 COVID-19 deaths Tuesday, raising the death toll to 29,748. The number of critically ill patients stood at 412, down one from the previous day. (Yonhap)