By Alex Jensen
SEOUL
South Korea's MERS outbreak worsened again Tuesday, as the country confirmed its first two related deaths and a new total of 25 infections of the often fatal respiratory illness.
A 58-year-old woman tested positive for MERS after she died, while the other victim was a 71-year-old man, according to a health ministry statement.
Both had been in the same hospital as the outbreak's first patient, a 68-year-old man who was diagnosed May 20 following a trip to the Middle East.
Despite less than two weeks having passed, South Korea has seen the highest number of MERS cases outside of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Having emerged in Saudi Arabia in 2012, the disease is caused by a strain of coronavirus - with no vaccine available, MERS has an alarming fatality rate of over 40 percent based on more than 1,150 cases worldwide.
South Korea was still scrambling to contain its outbreak Tuesday, after President Park Geun-hye urged authorities to mobilize all resources towards that aim.
Park also admitted a day earlier that the country's initial response had been "insufficient," given the failure to effectively quarantine the first people to come into contact with the original patient.
Neither of the confirmed victims were consistently monitored by the health ministry, which had placed more than 680 people in isolation as of Monday.
Concerns were also mounting about the outbreak's economic impact - both in terms of inbound tourism and wider business effects.
A Hyundai Motor spokesperson revealed Tuesday that the automotive giant, along with affiliate Kia Motors, had asked employees not to travel to the Middle East.
