Minister of Public Administration and Security Lee Sang-min speaks at a COVID-19 response meeting held at the administrative office in Seoul on Wednesday. (Yonhap)

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed above 40,000 for the second straight day Wednesday, fanning concerns of a possible resurgence of the pandemic.

The country reported 40,842 infections, including 81 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 25,396,155, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said.

The figure is higher than the past seven day average of 27,259, showing signs of a possible rebound in infections.

The country reported 26 deaths, bringing the death toll to 29,043. The fatality rate stood at 0.11 percent.

The number of critically ill patients came to 242, up from 225 a day earlier.

On Tuesday, the government said it will encourage more adults over 18 to get vaccine booster shots amid growing concerns of a "twindemic" outbreak of COVID-19 and the seasonal flu this winter.

It also urged the public to remain vigilant against the virus and attend to personal hygiene, saying the number of people reported for not wearing masks inside subway trains recently doubled from earlier this year. (Yonhap)