The entrance to a six - story building that houses the Korean - Chinese Church in Garibong - dong of Guro District , western Seoul , on Tuesday , where at least nine Covid - 19 cases have been traced . A makeshift Covid - 19 testing center has been set up near the entrance . [ NEWS 1 ] At least nine Covid - 19 cases have been traced to a Protestant church attended by Chinese immigrants in western Seoul , the latest in a string of clusters popping up in the Seoul metropolitan area . All nine patients live in the church ’ s nursing home in Garibong - dong , which , along with the neighboring Daerim - dong neighborhood , are known as the Korean capital ’ s Chinatown , due to their Chinese population , shops and eateries . Local media outlets have reported that all nine people in the latest cluster hold Chinese nationality , but the Guro District Office did not respond to multiple calls on Tuesday for confirmation . The vast majority are aged 60 or above , and they ’ ve all been hospitalized for treatment , health officials said . The hot spot appears to have originated from another cluster that popped up last week at the Richway health care company in Gwanak District , southern Seoul . Richway is known to have run marketing seminars for the elderly , offering health tips , introducing them to products and providing entertainment such as recreational activities . Some customers were diagnosed with Covid - 19 after attending such events , including a 64 - year - old man from the nursing home of the Garibong - dong church , who became the first person to be diagnosed with Covid - 19 in the cluster last Sunday . After he was diagnosed , epidemiologists ran tests on all 33 of his roommates and three church workers . During that process , eight more cases were discovered Monday , all of whom were the 64 - year - old ’ s roommates . Those who reside on church premises but tested negative for the coronavirus have nonetheless been told to self - quarantine for two weeks , the incubation period of the virus . The church , called the Korean - Chinese Church in English , shut down Sunday . The Guro District Office said it was in the process of contacting some 150 worshippers at the church to be tested for Covid - 19 . The district office said in a statement that members of nearby churches and their nursing home residents were also being called for tests to make sure the coronavirus hasn ’ t spread to other houses of worship . No links between other churches have been discovered yet . Based on epidemiological studies conducted so far , Guro District officials said there seems to be “ a low chance ” that the Korean - Chinese Church members spread the disease in their local community . Nursing home residents barely left the shelter and prayed in a room different from other worshippers at the church , the office noted . The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( KCDC ) announced Tuesday morning that 38 new Covid - 19 cases were detected across the nation Monday , the same as the day before . Three were imported cases , and all but two of the rest came from the Seoul metropolitan area : 18 in Seoul , 12 in the surrounding province of Gyeonggi , three in Incheon and one each in South Chungcheong and South Gyeongsang . Korea ’ s total case load now stands at 11 , 852 . By Monday midnight , 274 people had died , up by one from the previous day , while 10 , 589 people had been declared fully recovered , up by 26 from the day before . Almost all clusters in the Seoul metropolitan area that emerged over the past few weeks grew . The one linked to nightclubs and bars in Itaewon - dong , central Seoul , the Korean capital ’ s largest international neighborhood , grew by three cases Monday to reach 277 . All three cases were people who had contact with someone who went to a club or bar in Itaewon last month . Another hot spot at the Korean e - commerce company Coupang ’ s distribution center in Bucheon , Gyeonggi , added a case to reach 139 . The cluster from a string of small churches in the Seoul metropolitan area , mostly in Incheon , also grew by one case to reach 88 . The number of cases traced to Richway , including the nine cases from the Korean - Chinese Church , rose to 68 , up from 52 by Sunday . Another cluster that began at a table tennis center in Yangcheon District , western Seoul , and spread to the Presbyterian Big Tree Church in Yongin , Gyeonggi , increased by multiple cases to reach 51 — a total of 25 at the table tennis center and 26 at the Big Tree Church . The Big Tree Church sub - cluster spread to another hot spot Monday , when at least six people at a nursing home for the elderly in Gwangmyeong , Gyeonggi , east of Seoul , tested positive that day , apparently infected by another resident who went to the church and was diagnosed with Covid - 19 on Sunday . Health officials said the initial spreader of the virus at the Gwangmyeong nursing home attended a May 31 service at the Big Tree Church , where he appears to have contracted the disease . In a meeting with several ministers Tuesday to address the recent clusters , Prime Minister Chung Sye - kyun relayed a solemn warning for groups and businesses flouting the government ’ s health guidelines of self - distancing , sanitation and the requirement to wear face masks , stressing they will face severe consequences if they cause a new cluster . Penalties many include the groups and businesses covering disinfection costs and all medical expenses incurred from patients linked to them , as well as an operations ban . In Incheon , schools in Michuhol District were on high alert Tuesday after the city office revealed that a 9 - year - old elementary school student and a 13 - year - old middle school student , both females , tested positive for the coronavirus that day after coming into contact with their grandmother , who tested positive Monday . How the grandmother contracted the virus has yet to be revealed . They met on May 30 when the grandmother visited the granddaughters ' house . Both girls went to school on Monday . Health officials set up a makeshift Covid - 19 testing center on each of the schools ’ premises Tuesday to test some 700 students and faculty members . BY LEE SUNG - EUN , CHOI MO - RAN [ lee . sungeun @ joongang . co . kr ]