South Korean President Moon Jae-in set the country's alert level against the COVID-19 to its "highest" in response to hundreds of additional confirmed cases over the weekend, according to Yonhap reports.

Meanwhile, South Korean Ministry of Education announced it will postpone the new school year until March 9 as coronavirus spikes, Education Minister Yoo Eun said the ministry will closely monitor the ongoing outbreak and will take additional measures if necessary.

The minister on Sunday also unveiled the measures to support Chinese international students enrolled in Korean universities, the measures including allowing them to take online classes and providing them with health monitoring. 

At least 70,000 Chinese students study in South Korea, and some 38,000 are still in China. The next two weeks will be when Chinese students are expected to return to South Korea. 

On Sunday, South Korea reported 123 more confirmed cases of the COVID-19 and a sixth death, according to local media reports. 

This brings the total number of infections in the country to 602.

(Cover: South Korea's capital Seoul logo in downtown Seoul, South Korea, February 23, 2020. /AP)