President Moon Jae-in said on Sunday that South Korea will have to consider raising social distancing measures if it fails to curb the surge of COVID-19 infections.

The president made the remarks chairing a government meeting on virus responses at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters in Seoul. 

The president said the nation is facing the "biggest crisis" in the fight against the virus since the initial outbreak and it will have to consider raising social distancing to Level Three, the highest in the country's five-tier alert system, if the surge cannot be curbed. 

Moon said that it's hard to imagine the pain and damage that people will suffer from the elevation to Level Three, urging officials to make all-out efforts to contain the spread.

While noting that Level Three social distancing is the last option, Moon asked officials to make the necessary preparations and make a bold decision if the elevation is deemed inevitable.