South Korea reported 33 more cases of the new coronavirus Wednesday due to a continued rise in local infections coming in from overseas and locally transmitted cases.

The new cases, including 18 imported cases, raised South Korea's total cases of COVID-19 to 14,456, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).

The number of new COVID-19 cases had been in the 30s since Friday, when South Korea reported 36 new virus cases. The number briefly fell to 23 on Monday.

Of the local infections, six were reported from central North Chungcheong Province. The virus cases are believed to be tied to a religious gathering in Cheongju, 137 kilometers south of Seoul.

A total of 336 people, mainly foreign nationals, attended the Islamic service Friday. Six Uzbeks were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after attending the gathering.

Among them, 128 tested negative, with others undergoing tests, the KCDC said. A detailed probe is under way to determine the exact infection route.

Seoul reported five more cases, followed by Gyeonggi Province surrounding the capital city with two, the KCDC said.

A total of 13 cases have so far been traced to a coffee shop and a restaurant, both of them located in southern Seoul, up one from a day earlier, the authorities said.

Two more people were traced to a church in the eastern Seoul ward of Songpa, bringing the total infection cases from the church to 21, the KCDC said.

Also, five more people, including four South Korean nationals and one Indonesian, were traced to a Russian ship docked in the southeastern port city of Busan.

Foreign vessels docked in South Korean ports have become a source of cluster infections here since June.

Sailors aboard ships departing from Russia are now required to submit a certificate showing they have tested negative for COVID-19.

Of the imported cases, 11 were South Koreans and seven foreigners. Six of them tested positive for the virus in the screening process at either an airport or a seaport, while 12 others were confirmed to have the virus while under self-quarantine, according to the public health agency.

The daily number of imported cases has increased by a double-digit number for 41 consecutive days.

The accumulated number of imported cases reached 2,500 in South Korea.

The country reported one more additional death, with the death toll standing at 302, according to the KCDC.

The KCDC said South Korea's fatality rate of people infected with the virus was 2.09 percent.

The number of patients fully cured of the virus reached 13,352, up 72 from the previous day.

South Korea has carried out 1,598,187 tests since Jan. 3. (Yonhap)