Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Saturday, Jun 21, 2025

Seoul a ‘Covid-19 war zone’ as cases continue to soar in South Korea

Seoul a ‘Covid-19 war zone’ as cases continue to soar in South Korea

South Korea reported 615 new coronavirus infections, as officials call for increased social distancing, testing and tracing to prevent a major outbreak.
South Korea’s health minister on Monday said the Seoul metropolitan area is now a “Covid-19 war zone”, as the country reported another 615 new infections and the virus appeared to be spreading faster.

The president, meanwhile, issued a call to expand testing and contact tracing. The country has recorded more than 5,300 new infections in the past 10 days and Monday was the 30th day in a row of triple-digit daily jumps.

Most cases have come from the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, where half of South Korea’s 51 million people live. With people increasingly venturing out in public and spending longer hours indoors amid cold temperatures, health workers have struggled to stem transmissions tied to restaurants, saunas, schools, hospitals and long-term care facilities.

“The capital area is now a Covid-19 war zone,” Health Minister Park Neung-hoo said in a virus meeting, asking for vigilance.

He said the country may have to increase social distancing to prevent the resurgence in the capital area from “exploding into a major outbreak nationwide and collapsing the health care system”.

Na Seong-woong, a senior official from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, told reporters the country could be reporting around 900 new infections a day next week if it fails to slow the virus quickly.

While South Korea managed to contain a major outbreak in its southeastern region in spring by channelling nationwide health resources and personnel, it is less clear where the reinforcements will come if the virus wreaks havoc in the Seoul area.

While President Moon Jae-in’s government had been eager to tout the country’s previous gains against the virus, there is criticism that it gambled on its own success by moving quickly to ease social distancing restrictions to the lowest level in October even as the virus was still spreading.

Officials have moved to restore some distancing restrictions in the Seoul area in recent weeks, shutting down nightclubs, karaoke rooms and gyms, reducing in-person school classes and allowing restaurants to provide only delivery and takeaway after 9pm.

City officials in Seoul have also reduced public transport after 9pm to discourage unnecessary gatherings, although some say the move might backfire by making buses and undergrounds more packed.

Some health experts have endorsed stronger restrictions, such as banning all gatherings of more than 10 people, shutting down schools and churches and requiring companies to have more employees work from home.

Moon expressed concern on Monday that health workers are increasingly struggling to track transmission routes amid the rising infections, urging officials to deploy the “maximum available manpower” of civil servants, police and military personnel to assist with contact tracing efforts in the capital area, his spokesman Chung Man-ho said.

Chung said Moon also instructed officials to keep more testing stations open during night hours or holidays and install more “drive-through” set-ups that allow workers to collect samples from drivers through car windows.

He also asked “any citizen who has the slightest suspicion of being infected to visit a screening centre to get tested”, Chung said.

During a separate briefing, Na said health officials are planning to adopt new testing techniques, including rapid antigen tests and salvia-based tests, so that they could screen potential virus carriers more quickly.

The country mainly relies on a diagnostic testing method called PCR, which is more accurate but also more complicated.

The country’s has reported 38,161 infections since the pandemic began and 549 deaths.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
Trump's Anti-War Stance Tested Amid Israel-Iran Conflict
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Israel Issues Ultimatum to Iran Over Potential Retaliation and Nuclear Facilities
Black Box Recovered from Air India Crash Site
Coinbase CEO Warns Bitcoin Could Supplant US Dollar Amid Mounting National Debt
Trump to Iran: Make a Deal — Sign or Die
Operation "Like a Lion": Israel Strikes Iran in Unprecedented Offensive
Israel Launches 'Operation Rising Lion' Targeting Iranian Nuclear and Military Sites
Israeli Forces Intercept Gaza-Bound Aid Vessel Carrying Greta Thunberg
IMF Warns of Severe Global Trade War Impacts on Emerging Markets
Syria to Reconnect to Global Economy After 14 Years of Isolation
Israel Confirms Arming Gaza Clan to Counter Hamas Influence
Global News Roundup: From Ukraine's strategic military strikes and Russia's demands and Tensions Escalate in Ukraine, to serious legal issues faced by Britons in Bali and Trump's media criticism, the latest developments highlight a turbulent landscape
U.S. Reduces Military Presence in Syria
Trump Demands Iran End All Uranium Enrichment in Nuclear Talks
Iran Warns Europe Against Politicizing UN Nuclear Report
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
×