South Korea reported 561 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, following two days of more than 600 daily cases.
533 of Friday s cases were transmitted locally and close to 400 of them came from Seoul and the surrounding area.
Cluster infections at hospitals in the capital area and family gatherings across the country during the Lunar New Year holidays added to the total tally.
Meanwhile, the recent outbreaks at a gas boiler factory in Asan, Chungcheongnam-do Province and a plastics factory in Namyangju, Gyeonggi-do Province now account for a total of at least 272 cases.
In a briefing on Friday, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun voiced concern at the conditions in which foreign laborers in the country are working and whether prevention measures are being kept.