South Korean teens drive up COVID-19 cases ahead of full school reopening

FILE PHOTO: A man who got a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine leaves a COVID-19 vaccination center in Seoul, South Korea, October 29, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea said on Wednesday it would ramp up COVID-19 testing at schools after a sharp rise of infections among children, weeks ahead of a plan to fully reopen schools nationwide.

The surge comes as new social distancing rules aimed at a phased return to normal came into effect on Monday as a part of the country's plan to gradually move toward living with COVID-19 on the back of high vaccination rates.