An employee at a detention center in Gyeonggi Province has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, prompting suspensions of trials set for Friday at the Seoul Central District Court and Seoul High Court. 

The Justice Ministry said on Friday that the employee at the Seoul Detention Center, who has been in quarantine after coming into close contact with a confirmed patient, tested positive for the virus. 

The employee is presumed to have contracted the virus from one of the friends he or she met on Saturday. The employee and the friends reportedly did not visit clubs in Seoul's Itaewon area. 

The detention center suspended visitors' meeting with inmates on Thursday, while placing 243 detainees and 23 employees under quarantine and getting them tested. 

Cho Ju-bin, the prime suspect in a high-profile online sexual exploitation case, who has been detained in the facility, will also take the test on Friday.