SOUTH Korea will fully resume school later this month as the government pushes the nation and its people towards its "Living with Covid-19" plan.
The Education Ministry said that physical classes will resume on Nov 22 following this year's College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), a state-run university entrance exam, on Nov 18.
All kindergarten, elementary, middle and high schools nationwide will resume on that day while universities will be allowed to gradually resume physical classes starting today (Monday).
According to a Yonhap news report, the school reopening plan is part of the government's "Living with Covid-19" plan that will be imposed over the next four weeks as part of a broader plan to gradually lift the virus restrictions by the end of January.
Education authorities have previously allowed some classes to resume but placed strict controls on class sizes due to the pandemic.
The attendance rate for the Seoul metropolitan area stands at just below 70 per cent while it is about 94 per cent elsewhere.
The Education Ministry said it will now also allow local education authorities to autonomously manage school operations based on the respective conditions of regions and individual educational institutions.
It said kindergartens will be allowed to carry out outdoor physical activities while elementary, middle and high schools will be allowed to carry out discussions and debate sessions during classes.
A ministry study also showed that student achievement in Korean, mathematics and English fell last year compared with the year before the Covid-19 struck.
Meanwhile in another development, South Korean police said it will crack down on drink driving during the year-end season, as more gatherings and drinking sessions are expected.
According to a report in the Korea Times, the crackdown comes with the "Living with Covid-19" plan, which eases many social distancing rules.
Police said it will carry out sobriety tests on drivers in entertainment districts across the country for three months starting today.
"The upcoming checks are an action in response to the gradual lifting of social distancing regulations. Night-time crackdowns may be extended as well, as the curfew of restaurants and bars will be lifted," police said.
Authorities noted that accidents from drink driving have decreased since the social distancing measures were introduced during the pandemic.
For the first nine months in 2020, a total of 13,144 traffic accidents took place from drink driving, killing 228 and injuring 21,426 people.
During the same period this year, the total number decreased by more than 19 per cent to 10,622, with 128 fatalities and 16,789 injured.
However, the number of people caught drink driving is on the rise again.
From January to September this year, increased police testing found almost 310 people a day on average for driving under the influence, but the number rose to more than 360 in October.
The police expect the number to increase further during the year-end season.