SKorea sees COVID-19 cases spread beyond capital

Seoul, Jun 30 (AP) South Korea has reported 43 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 from across the country as infections begin to spread beyond the greater capital area, which has been at the center of a virus resurgence since late May.

The figures announced by South Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday brought national totals to 12,800 cases, including 282 deaths.

Seventeen of the new cases came from the Seoul metropolitan area, where about half of South Korea's 51 million people live, while infections were also reported in other major cities such as Daejeon, Gwangju, Busan and Sejong.

Twenty of the new cases were linked to international arrivals as the coronavirus continues to strengthen its hold in Southern Asia, the United States and beyond.

Authorities in recent weeks have been struggling to track transmissions that have been popping up from various places as people increasingly venture out in public amid an erosion in citizen vigilance. (AP) AMS AMS