Those aged 18 and over need to be vaccinated, news agency Yonhap reports, although medical exemptions will be available and children can be unvaccinated, given the pace of South Korea's vaccine rollout.

Attendance at KBO games has been capped at 30 per cent of a stadium's capacity for most of this season, because of the coronavirus crisis, but the limit has been lifted for the climax of the baseball campaign.

South Korea's Government is increasing capacity limits at outdoor venues to 50 per cent as it seeks to return the country to the pre-pandemic normal, but KBO stadiums will be able to have more fans than that because of the vaccine requirement, per Yonhap.

The current KBO season has been impacted heavily by COVID-19.

It was suspended in July after teams recorded multiple coronavirus cases, and that came shortly before a planned break for the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Teams in Seoul have also had to play behind closed doors at times as the capital has been the epicentre of South Korea's health crisis.

A year earlier, the start of the 2020 season was delayed because of the onset of the pandemic.

Changwon-based NC Dinos are the reigning KBO champions, but have not reached the playoffs.

After spiking in late September, coronavrius cases have been falling in South Korea this month.

The country has reported fewer than 3,000 COVID-19 deaths in total, but has taken a hardline approach to eradicating the virus and imposed strict countermeasures.

These contributed to this month's Association of National Olympic Committees General Assembly being moved from Seoul to Greek island Crete, while other events due to be held in South Korea including International Federation of Sport Climbing World Cup legs and 2020 World Team Table Tennis Championships were cancelled.