An elderly South Korean citizen in Spain died of the new coronavirus last week in the first known fatality involving an overseas national, the foreign ministry said Monday.

The man in his late 80s died at a hospital on Friday (Spain time) after having tested positive on April 3. Other details about his death were unknown.

As of Monday, the foreign ministry has learned of 59 coronavirus cases involving South Koreans overases. Of them, 18 have fully recovered, while the rest are receiving treatment while in quarantine.

Among the Korean patients abroad is an administrative worker at the South Korean Embassy in Belgium. The ministry said the spread of the virus among embassy staff was unlikely as the positive test result came 10 days after the worker started self-isolating.

At home, South Korea's COVID-19 caseload stood at 10,537 with 217 deaths as of midnight. (Yonhap)