An 81-year-old woman appears to have died from complications related to influenza A (H1N1), South Korea's health authorities said Friday.
The death brought the flu death toll in South Korea to nine.
The woman, a resident of South Jeolla province who has long suffered from lung disease and cerebral infarction, was confirmed to have been infected with the virus on Sept. 3, according to Yonhap News Agency.
The exact cause of the death was still under investigation, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said.
The new flu strain was first noticed in South Korea in early May, but the first flu-related death was not reported until Aug. 15.
A total of 7,576 confirmed flu infections have been reported as of Sept. 10, according to the ministry. Most patients have fully recovered.
Health experts have cautioned that the contagious disease may spread more widely as the weather becomes cooler.
South Korea plans to inoculate some 13.4 million people, or 27 percent of the nation's population, by next February.