South Korea will raise coronavirus curbs to their highest level in the Seoul metropolitan area, the country's prime minister said, warning a record spike in new cases had reached “maximum crisis level”.

The country had previously been held up as a model of how to combat the pandemic, with the public largely following social distancing and other rules, but it was slow to start its vaccine rollout due to supply shortages, AFP reports.

On Friday it recorded 1,316 cases, its highest daily rise since the pandemic began, with most new infections in capital Seoul and its surrounding areas, home to almost half the South Korean population.

Cluster infections have surfaced in areas including schools, offices and shopping malls, with people in their 20s and 30s — most of whom are not yet eligible for vaccinations — driving up the numbers, according to health authorities.