South Korea on Friday reported the highest-ever daily COVID-19 cases since the outbreak of the pandemic, as health authorities decided to impose the toughest virus curbs in the greater Seoul area, the hotbed for the recent spike in virus infections, in an effort to bring the fourth wave of the outbreak under control. The country recorded 1,316 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,236 local infections, raising the total caseload to 164,028, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. It marked the highest number since the nation reported its first confirmed infection on Jan. 20 last year, Yonhap News Agency reported. The country added two more COVID-19 deaths, raising the death toll to 2,036.