The daily number of riders on the Seoul subway system breached the 7 million mark for the first time in 1 1/2 years, data showed, partly on the back of rollbacks of COVID-19 restrictions.

According to the data from Seoul subway operator Seoul Metro, 7,210,000 people rode subway trains in the capital city on April 29, marking the most single-day riders since Oct. 30, 2020.

An average of 7,320,000 riders used the Seoul subway system in a 24-hour period in 2019, the data showed. The average tally, however, plummeted to 5,300,000 between February 2020 and March 2022.

Starting on April 18, the country removed most of its pandemic restrictions, including a 10-person limit on private gatherings and a midnight curfew at restaurants, coffee shops and bars. (Yonhap)