The novel coronavirus outbreak in
South Korea is "very grave", President
Moon Jae-in said Tuesday as he visited its epicentre and the country's total number of cases approached 1,000.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) confirmed 144 new infections, taking the tally to 977, the largest national total anywhere outside
China, where the virus first emerged.
Scores of events have been cancelled or postponed as the outbreak has spread in the world's 12th-largest
economy, from K-pop concerts to the start of the K-league football season, with casualties on Tuesday including parliamentary sessions and the World Team Table
Tennis championships.