WEB DESK

South Korea’s new coronavirus cases increased slightly in nearly two months as the country steps up its virus fight ahead of Chuseok holiday, the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving, which runs from coming Wednesday to Sunday.

The country added 50 new coronavirus cases, the lowest since a new wave of outbreak emerged last month bringing the total caseload to 23,661.

The numbers were the lowest since August 11, when a new cluster of infections emerged from a Church whose members attended an anti-government rally in Seoul on August 15, which pushed the daily tally of cases to more than 440 late last month.

South Korean stocks also responded positively and rose around 1.5% as sentiment was boosted.

Shares of South Korean chipmakers Samsung Electronics and DB Hitek rose on hopes that they may benefit from the United States’ new export restrictions on China’s biggest chipmaker SMIC.