국내 신규 확진 연일 300명대 이상, 지역 감염만 320명<br /><br />Our top story this lunchtime.<br />South Korea is still reporting more than 300 additional daily cases of COVID-19... sparking fears this could be the long-dreaded third wave.<br />While majority come from the Greater Seoul area, regions outside the capital aren't out of the woods.<br />Also, since the first case in January, South Korea has surpassed a total caseload of 30-thousand.<br />Kim Do-yeon reports.<br />South Korea's battle against COVID-19 is taking a hit day after day as winter approaches and the temperature starts to drop.<br />On Friday, South Korea confirmed 363 new cases of COVID-19.<br />Three-hundred-20 of them were local transmissions.<br />It's the first time since late August that the country has reported more than 300 local transmissions in a day.<br />Many experts worry this is the beginning of a third wave.<br />The majority of the new cases come from the capital region, with 218 local transmissions in and around Seoul.<br />It's the first time since late August that that figure has surpassed 200.<br />Clusters include cases from a singing room, a gym, and work places.<br />Amid the sharp rise in cases, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, who also doubles as the head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, addressed the public on Friday.<br />"As the spread of COVID-19 has recently surged, K-Quarantine is facing a crisis again. As soon as the distancing level was raised, daily cases jumped to the triple digits. On top of that, since three days ago, we've been seeing 300-plus cases every day."<br />He added that clusters have been forming in rural areas where cases have not been reported as often... which he said is a sign the whole country, not just the capital area is under threat.<br />In fact, regions outside the Greater Seoul area marked more than 100 daily cases,... the second day in a row with triple digit daily cases.<br />Some local municipalities are raising their distancing levels autonomously to contain the virus.<br />South Korea's total COVID-19 caseload has now surpassed 30,000 after the nation's first case in January.<br />With 3 additional deaths, South Korea's death toll now stands at 501.<br />Kim Do-yeon, Arirang News.<br />
