A visitor waits for a coronavirus test at a testing center in central Seoul, Dec. 29. Yonhap

Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell below the 80,000 mark on Thursday, with health authorities remaining cautious to prevent a wintertime surge.

The country confirmed 71,427 new coronavirus infections, including 72 from overseas, bringing the total to 28,931,140, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

Thursday's tally is lower than 87,517 cases reported on the previous day and down from 75,729 a week ago.

The KDCA reported 76 COVID-19 deaths, bringing the death toll to 32,027. The number of critically ill patients stood at 590, up three from the previous day.

The Korean government seeks to gradually remove the last remaining pandemic restrictions, such as the indoor mask mandate, as part of efforts to return to the pre-pandemic normalcy.

The government said the lifting of the indoor mask curb may come in January at the earliest. (Yonhap)