New COVID-19 Cases 1,241 Yesterday, Record High... First Time Over 1,200 (Summary)

144 More Cases Than Previous Record... Large-Scale Outbreak at Dongbu Detention Center

Prime Minister Jeong Sye-gyun attended the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting on COVID-19 response held at the Seoul Government Complex in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 25th and delivered opening remarks. On the same day, the number of new COVID-19 cases reached a record high of 1,241. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] On the 25th, the number of new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in South Korea was 1,241, setting a new record high once again.

This is a significant increase of 256 cases from the high 900s recorded the previous day, marking the highest number of confirmed cases since the first domestic case was reported on January 20. The previous record was 1,097 cases on the 20th, making this 144 cases higher.

Recently, the spread has intensified as cluster infections have surged not only in vulnerable facilities such as nursing hospitals but also in everyday life settings including religious facilities.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's data compiled as of midnight on the same day, 1,216 cases are estimated to be domestic infections, and 25 cases are imported from overseas.

By region, the Seoul metropolitan area accounts for 862 cases, with Seoul at 550, Gyeonggi at 257, and Incheon at 55. The Seoul metropolitan area, including Seoul, set another record with over 800 cases.

Non-metropolitan areas also recorded around 300 cases daily. These include Chungnam 79, Gyeongbuk 67, Chungbuk 42, Gwangju 35, Busan and Daegu 21 each, Jeju 20, Gyeongnam 14, Daejeon and Gangwon 13 each, Ulsan and Jeonbuk 12 each, Jeonnam 4, and Sejong 1.

The number of imported cases remained in double digits at 25. The United States had the most with 9 cases, followed by Indonesia with 6, Russia and Uzbekistan with 2 each, and Kazakhstan, the Philippines, Poland, Finland, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Niger with 1 each.

Among the imported cases, 6 were identified during quarantine inspections at airports or ports, while the remaining 19 tested positive during self-quarantine at their local residences or temporary living facilities.

As of this date, there are 311 critically ill patients, and with 17 deaths reported the previous day, the cumulative death toll has reached 773. The total number of confirmed cases in the country has risen to 54,770. With 623 patients released from isolation the previous day, 15,949 patients are currently undergoing isolation treatment.

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said in his opening remarks at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting held at the Government Seoul Office, "Yesterday, the daily number of confirmed cases reached a new high of 1,241," adding, "Unfortunately, a large-scale outbreak occurred at the Seoul Eastern Detention Center."

Prime Minister Chung stated, "When confirmed cases occur in places where people live in close quarters, it is difficult to avoid a large-scale infection," and urged, "Please re-examine the quarantine situation in the military and correctional facilities and strengthen measures to detect asymptomatic infections."

He continued, "The last week starting from Christmas is usually a time when people gather and share warmth, but this year, such scenes are hard to find anywhere in the world," emphasizing, "All public officials nationwide should unite their efforts to protect the quarantine sites during the holiday period, thinking of this as the final hurdle to overcome the harsh winter and move toward a hopeful spring."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.