Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki cleared his schedule outside the ministry until next Thursday to go into self-quarantine after a ministry employee tested positive for the delta variant of COVID-19.

According to the ministry on Thursday, Hong was initially only under monitoring despite having had close contact with the patient, as he had completed vaccination and tested negative on August 5.

The minister was permitted to attend government meetings under monitoring through August 19. He again tested negative on Thursday.

But Hong was ordered into self-isolation later in the day after the patient was confirmed to have contracted the delta variant. He will be working from home until August 19, overseeing the ministry's tasks through phone and email.

Meanwhile, Financial Services Commission(FSC) Chairman Eun Sung-soo is awaiting test results in self-quarantine, after he came into contact with a FSC employee who contracted the virus.