From journalist Hyoungjoo Choi in Seoul and Akanksha Sharma in Hong Kong

South Korea has reported three new deaths from people who had the novel coronavirus --taking the national toll to 31.

This comes as health authorities announced that they are looking into two Shincheonji religious group members who traveled to South Korea in January from Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak in China.

Kwon Joon-wook, vice-director of South Korea’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told a press briefing that one member tested negative while the other tested positive for the virus.

Lee Man-hee, leader of the Shincheonji group, speaks during a press conference in Gapyeong, South Korea, on Monday. Credit: AFP/Getty Images

However, the positive case was confirmed late February and it will be difficult to establish whether that second case influenced the massive transmission among Shincheonji members, Kwon added.