South Korea's new COVID-19 cases hit around 14,000 on Tuesday, marking a moderate fall from the previous week amid a declining virus trend.

The country reported 14,371 new infection cases, including 26 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 30,369,744, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said.

Tuesday's count is down by 1,741 from 16,112 reported a week earlier.

The KDCA reported 11 deaths from COVID-19, putting the death toll at 33,758.

The number of critically ill patients came to 245, down from 263 a day earlier.

The infection numbers have been on a steady decline despite concerns over a possible uptick following the removal of the indoor mask mandate.

South Korea lifted the last remaining COVID-19 restriction on Jan. 30, with a few exceptions, including on public transportation, in efforts to return to pre-pandemic life. (Yonhap)