South Korea has recorded 629 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, the highest daily tally in about nine months.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said that 600 of the newly confirmed cases were domestically transmitted — nearly 80 per cent of them in the densely populous Seoul area, which has been at the center of a viral resurgence.

The cases took the country's total to 36,332 with 536 deaths, AP reported.

After successfully suppressing two previous outbreaks this year, South Korea has been grappling with a fresh spike in infections since it relaxed stringent social distancing rules in October. Last week, it toughened those restrictions in the greater Seoul area and other places.