A worker at a general hospital in Seoul tested positive for the new coronavirus, forcing the hospital to shut down, a local government said Tuesday.

The employee at Hyemin Hospital showed symptoms of COVID-19 on Sunday and tested positive the following day. As the worker reported to work last week, thorough disinfection work and contact tracing are under way, according to the office of Seoul's Gwangjin ward, where the hospital is located.

Out of 28 people known to have come in contact with the patient, nine have tested positive, according to health authorities, adding that four individuals are awaiting their test results.

Hyemin is a mid-sized general hospital with more than 250 beds.

South Korea has seen a surge in confirmed new coronavirus cases since mid-August. On Tuesday, the country reported 235 new COVID-19 cases, including 222 local infections, raising the total caseload to 20,182, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).

The total caseload surpassed the 20,000 mark for the first time since the country reported its first case on Jan. 20. (Yonhap)