South Korea reports over 600 coronavirus cases, fifth death

South Korea reported over 600 confirmed coronavirus cases and a fifth death, the Korea Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention (KCDC) said on Sunday.

The country is raising its alert level on the virus to the "highest", President Moon Jae-in said Sunday, in the face of a sudden spike in the number of infections.

"The COVID-19 incident faces a grave turning point," Moon said following a government meeting on the virus.

"The government will raise the alert level to the highest level."

More than half the additional cases were found to be linked to a Shincheonji Church of Jesus congregation in the southeastern city of Daegu after a 61-year-old woman known as “Patient 31” who attended services at the church tested positive for the virus last week. The woman had no recent record of overseas travel.

South Korea’s earlier cases were linked to China but the new infections centre on Daegu, a city of about 2.5 million, and a hospital in Cheongdo, a county with about 43,000 people.

Nine of the 39 South Korean Catholics who had gone on a pilgrimage to Israel earlier this month were confirmed to have been infected with the virus.

Catholic churches in the cities of Daegu and Gwangju and elsewhere have suspended mass and other gatherings.

The coronavirus originated in China and has spread to more than two dozen countries. China has reported 76,936 cases and 2,442 deaths, according to data through Saturday.