Daily COVID-19 cases surged by more than 200 from the previous day and surpassed 500 for the first time in almost nine months. 

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) said that 583 additional people tested positive as of 12:00 a.m. Thursday, raising the country's accumulated caseload to 32-thousand-318.

Of the new cases, 553 were local infections while 30 were imported.