South Korea reported a sharp increase in coronavirus cases overnight and the country’s high-tech manufacturers suffered further disruptions from the outbreak as President Moon Jae-in invoked the spirit of the Korean war to deal with the crisis.
The news came as the US, Australia and Thailand reported their first deaths from the coronavirus.
South Korean health officials on Sunday morning reported 376 additional people are now battling the deadly virus, bringing the total to 3,526 — the largest outbreak of any country outside China.
Mr Moon told South Koreans to have “courage” and pointed to the country’s historical achievements including its rise to become one of the world’s biggest economies after the devastation of the Korean war in the 1950s.
“The Covid-19 outbreak can threaten our lives temporarily but it cannot break our unity and hope,” Mr Moon said.
South Korea last week outpaced China for the first time in terms of new confirmed infections after Seoul ramped up mass public testing in response to the virus. More than 60,000 people have tested negative for the virus while 32,000 new tests are under way.
The death toll rose to 18 on Sunday and authorities reported that a 45-day-old infant was among the new infections, the country’s youngest case.
