The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in South Korea climbed to nine-thousand-241 on Thursday.

Health authorities reported 104 new cases as of 12 a.m. Thursday, the second straight day of triple-digit increases.

The number of imported cases is on the rise, making up 284 of South Korea's total cases as of Thursday. Some 30 of the 104 new cases were discovered during stepped-up entry procedures.

Five additional deaths were reported, bringing the total death toll to 131.