South Korea reported 556 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, falling below 600 after two days. 

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) said on Friday that the new infections raised the country's accumulated caseload to 146-thousand-859. 

Of the new cases, 541 were local transmissions and 15 were from overseas.

The government on Friday extended the current social distancing measures for another three weeks, citing lingering virus risks.

By region, the greater metro area accounted for 72 percent of the total, with Seoul adding 201 cases and Gyeonggi Province 172.  

Two more deaths have been reported, bringing the death toll to one-thousand-981. The fatality rate stands at one-point-35 percent.

The number of critically ill patients dropped by one to 153.