Interior Minister Lee Sang-min, center, talks during a government virus response meeting, Dec. 7. Yonhap

The government will decide whether to lift the indoor mask mandate by the end of this month, Interior Minister Lee Sang-min said Wednesday.

The mandate is the last remaining COVID-19 restriction Korea has kept in place following the scrapping of all other distancing rules.

"(The government) will come up with the final plan by the end of this month after discussing ways to adjust (indoor) mask mandate rules," Lee said during a government virus response meeting.