(LEAD) Ruling party chief tests positive for COVID-19

▲ Democratic Party Chairman Rep. Song Young-gil arrives at the party's headquarters in Seoul on Jan. 28, 2022. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

(LEAD) ruling party chief-virus infection

(LEAD) Ruling party chief tests positive for COVID-19

(ATTN: UPDATES with details)

SEOUL, Feb. 4 (Yonhap) -- The chief of the ruling Democratic Party has tested positive for COVID-19, the party said Friday.

Rep. Song Young-gil took a self-test Thursday after feeling symptoms of COVID-19 and took an additional polymerase chain reaction test when the initial test came back positive.

"Chairman Song was informed that the PCR test came back positive," the DP said in a notice to reporters. "He plans to strictly follow the guidelines of the health authorities going forward."

The chairman went into isolation Thursday after canceling his public schedule with just weeks to go until the presidential election on March 9.

Song is not believed to have come into contact with DP presidential nominee Lee Jae-myung in recent days.

But party officials who attended a Supreme Council meeting with the chairman on Thursday are currently in the process of getting tested.

Earlier this week, a number of lawmakers and officials on the DP campaign committee tested positive, prompting the communications team to close its office for a day and sending half the committee to work from home.

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