South Korea's tourism sector is bearing the brunt of the global spread of the new coronavirus.

The viral outbreak is dealing a blow to the sector which already took a hit from Boycott Japan movement last year.

Companies that are members of the Korea Association of Travel Agents are said to be operating on emergency mode and have requested special government aid from the Tourism Promotion and Development Fund.

According to the association's tally as of Monday, 12 domestic travel agencies have suffered a combined loss of nearly 30 billion won for canceled outbound trips and six and a half billion won for inbound trips called off by foreign tourists.

The cancellations come as coronavirus cases have also spread to Southeast Asian nations.

In addition to financial support, the association also wants an extension in loan deadlines and a reduction in interest.

The Culture Ministry has offered some tax breaks to affected companies but the tourism sector is calling for bolder measures.