Eight matches in the top South Korean football league have been canceled due to a rising number of coronavirus infections across the circuit.

The Korea Professional Football League (K League) announced Friday that eight matches scheduled for July in the first-tier K League 1 will be contested at a later date to guard against the further spread of COVID-19.

Four clubs -- Seongnam FC, Jeju United, Daegu FC and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors -- have reported 18 positive COVID-19 cases so far.

The eight rescheduled matches are Incheon United-Seongnam FC (July 20), Ulsan Hyundai FC-Daegu FC (July 21), Jeonbuk-Pohang Steelers (July 21), Jeonbuk-Gwangju FC (July 24), Seongnam-Daegu (July 24), Pohang-Seongnam (July 28), FC Seoul-Jeonbuk (July 28) and Suwon FC-Jeonbuk (July 31).

Seongnam have had 15 cases themselves, with nine players and six staffers having tested positive. Jeonbuk and Daegu have had a coach and a player diagnosed with COVID-19 after returning from Tashkent for group matches at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League. (Yonhap)