COVID-19 confirmed and hospitalized cases South Korea 2023
As of August 28, 2023, South Korea has confirmed a total of 34,436,586 positive cases of coronavirus (COVID-19), including 35,812 deaths. The first case coronavirus in South Korea was discovered in January 2020. Currently, 25.57 cases per 100,000 people are being confirmed, down from 35.74 cases last month.
Case development trend
In the middle of February 2020, novel coronavirus (COVID-19) began to increase exponentially from patient 31, who was known as a super propagator. With a quick response by the government, the daily new cases once dropped to a single-digit. In May 2020, around three hundreds of new infections were related to cluster infections that occurred in some clubs at Itaewon, an entertainment district in Seoul. Seoul and the metropolitan areas were hit hard by this Itaewon infection. Following the second wave of infections in August, the government announced it was facing the third wave in November with 200 to 300 confirmed cases every day. A fourth wave started in July 2021 from the spread of the delta variant and low vaccination rates. While vaccination rates have risen significantly since then, the highly infectious omicron variant led to a record-breaking rise in cases. This began easing up in March of 2022, though numbers began to rise again around August of 2022. As of October 2022, case numbers are decreasing again.
Economic impact on Korean economy
The Korean economy is interdependent on many countries over the world, so the impact of coronavirus on Korean economy is significant. According to recent OECD forecasts, South Korea's GDP is projected to show positive growth in 2022 and 2023. The first sector the coronavirus impacted was tourism, caused by decreasing numbers of inbound tourists and domestic sales. In the first quarter of 2020, tourism revenue was expected to decrease by 2.9 trillion won. In addition, Korean companies predicted that the damage caused by the losses in sales and exports would be significant. In particular, the South Korean automotive industry was considered to be the most affected industry, as automobile production and parts supply stopped at factories in China.
For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated Facts and Figures page.
Case development trend
In the middle of February 2020, novel coronavirus (COVID-19) began to increase exponentially from patient 31, who was known as a super propagator. With a quick response by the government, the daily new cases once dropped to a single-digit. In May 2020, around three hundreds of new infections were related to cluster infections that occurred in some clubs at Itaewon, an entertainment district in Seoul. Seoul and the metropolitan areas were hit hard by this Itaewon infection. Following the second wave of infections in August, the government announced it was facing the third wave in November with 200 to 300 confirmed cases every day. A fourth wave started in July 2021 from the spread of the delta variant and low vaccination rates. While vaccination rates have risen significantly since then, the highly infectious omicron variant led to a record-breaking rise in cases. This began easing up in March of 2022, though numbers began to rise again around August of 2022. As of October 2022, case numbers are decreasing again.
Economic impact on Korean economy
The Korean economy is interdependent on many countries over the world, so the impact of coronavirus on Korean economy is significant. According to recent OECD forecasts, South Korea's GDP is projected to show positive growth in 2022 and 2023. The first sector the coronavirus impacted was tourism, caused by decreasing numbers of inbound tourists and domestic sales. In the first quarter of 2020, tourism revenue was expected to decrease by 2.9 trillion won. In addition, Korean companies predicted that the damage caused by the losses in sales and exports would be significant. In particular, the South Korean automotive industry was considered to be the most affected industry, as automobile production and parts supply stopped at factories in China.
For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated Facts and Figures page.
