SEOUL-- South Korea signed a "travel bubble" deal with Saipan on Wednesday to exempt fully vaccinated people from mandatory quarantine upon entry into each other's territory.

Saipan, a U.S. commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, is the first partner of South Korea's travel bubble initiative announced in early June.

The agreement was signed in a ceremony here by Seoul's vice transport minister Hwang Seong-kyu and Saipan's governor Ralph Torres. It is expected to take effect in late July or early August after relevant preparations.

Under the agreement, visitors are required to receive full COVID-19 vaccinations, authorized by their health authorities at least two weeks ahead of trips.

They also have to carry official certificates of vaccine shots and submit documents showing the negative result of a coronavirus test conducted within 72 hours prior to departure.

Only those on group trips arranged by travel agencies can benefit from the agreement.

Source: Yonhap News Agency