Moon to preside over COVID-19 response meeting amid rapid spread of omicron

People wait in line to get tested for COVID-19 at a makeshift testing booth set up at a parking lot of the Jamsil Olympic Stadium in Seoul's eastern district of Songpa, on Tuesday. (Yonhap)

President Moon Jae-in will preside over a COVID-19 response meeting Wednesday, a senior presidential official said, after the country's daily coronavirus cases shot up to over 13,000 amid the rapid spread of the omicron variant.

Due to anti-virus guidelines, the meeting will be held with a small group of ministers, including Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum. Other health-related ministers will join the meeting virtually, according to Park Soo-hyun, a senior presidential secretary for public communication.

On Wednesday, South Korea added 13,012 new cases, taking the total caseload to 762,983. (Yonhap)