South Korea is in the midst of a “second wave” of coronavirus infections, health officials claimed on Monday.

Axar.az reports citing foreign media that until now the country had been hailed a success story for its handling of the worldwide virus pandemic. However, the Korea Centers for Disease Control (KCDC) said on Monday that a rise in new cases signalled a second wave in the capital of Seoul.

The Minister of Health and Welfare Park Neung-hoo said a total of 90 imported cases were identified over the past week, showing a sharp rise from the previous week's 48.

He said: “The government faces a grave situation as health officials need not only to contain locally transmitted infections, but also manage imported cases.”