A mall in western Seoul is full of shoppers, in this file photo taken May 16, 2021. (Yonhap)

South Korea's consumer sentiment improved for the third straight month in April as the country lifted most social distancing rules as part of efforts to return to normal from the pandemic, central bank data showed Wednesday.

The composite consumer sentiment index came to 103.8 in April, up 0.6 point from the previous month, according to data from the Bank of Korea.

A reading above 100 means optimists outnumber pessimists. The April figure marked the third straight on-month rise of the index.

Last week, the government lifted almost all antivirus restrictions, except for the mask mandate, as part of efforts to bring the country back to normal more than two years after its first outbreak was reported here.

Daily coronavirus infections peaked at over 600,000 in mid-March but have been retreating fast ever since. On Tuesday, the country reported 80,361 new COVID-19 cases. (Yonhap)