Anchor: The daily COVID-19 increase in South Korea climbed back above 500 on Wednesday, after staying in the 400s for three days. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun called for adherence to strict quarantine measures, as the nation prepares for the annual nationwide college entrance exam on Thursday.
Choi You Sun reports.

Report: The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) said as of 12:00 a.m. Wednesday, 511 additional people tested positive for COVID-19, raising the country's cumulative total to 35-thousand-163.

The daily increase climbed back over 500 after slightly declining to the 400s for the past three days.

Out of 511 new cases, 493 were local infections, staying over 400 for the seventh straight day. The daily average for the past week stands at 471-point-nine, within the threshold for Level Two-point-Five social distancing.

Amid the continued spread of clusters emerging from day-to-day interactions, 356 cases were reported in the Seoul metropolitan area, while 137 were from outside the capital region.

Second Vice Health Minister Kang Do-tae said in a briefing that the government is aware of the grave situation and, if needed, will further raise social distancing rules in the Seoul metropolitan area and elsewhere to prevent the virus' spread.

He added the government's assessment of the outcomes of the recent distancing scheme elevation will come out this weekend or early next week.

At a meeting with officials, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun also raised the alarm over the number of people in self-quarantine hitting a record of more than 70-thousand, stressing that the next several days will be a critical turning point for the epidemic.

A day ahead of the nationwide College Scholastic Ability Test(CSAT) on Thursday, the prime minister called for thorough preparation to provide a safe environment for all test-takers.

According to the Education Ministry, 493-thousand-433 students in the country are scheduled to take the exam and they must have their temperature checked before entering test sites.

Partitions will be set up on the front side of each desk and all students must keep their masks on during the exam.

As of Tuesday, 35 students who have tested positive and 404 others in quarantine will have the opportunity to take the exam at dozens of medical facilities and separate venues.
Choi You Sun, KBS World Radio News.