Virus spreads in S. Korean regions with lighter restrictions

South Korea has reported a near-high in coronavirus infections as a weekslong surge extends beyond the capital region and the country’s toughest pandemic restrictions

SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea reported a near-high in coronavirus infections Thursday as a weekslong surge extends beyond the capital region and the country's toughest pandemic restrictions. The surge, increasingly fueled by the more contagious delta variant, is a worrisome development in a country where 70% of the population is waiting for their first vaccine dose. It further erases what had been a success story in the pandemic and underscores the challenges policymakers face in balancing measures to control virus outbreaks without further damaging their economy. “Over the past week, there has been a clear increase in the speed of transmissions not only in the (Seoul) metropolitan area but also in non-metropolitan areas,” said Bae Kyung-taek, a senior Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency official, during a briefing. “We ask our people to cancel unnecessary meetings and refrain from going out as much as possible.” Thursday's 1,600 new cases nearly matched South Korea's high from a day earlier and was the ninth straight day exceeding 1,000. The country’s caseload is now 173,511, including 2,050 deaths.