South Korea reported 161 more coronavirus cases on Monday, taking the nationwide total to 763 and making it the world's largest total outside China.

The country has seen a rapid surge in the number of coronavirus cases since a cluster of infections emerged from a religious sect in the southern city of Daegu last week.

In a statement on Monday, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, most of the country's cases are connected to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in the southern city of Daegu. South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Sunday raised the country's virus to the highest 'red' level, in a bid to strengthen the government response to the spiralling outbreak. The government has extended kindergarten and school holidays by one week nationwide and plans to enforce tighter two-week monitoring of arrivals from China.