South Korea reported on Sunday its second death from influenza A/H1N1, raising concerns that the country is no longer insulated from the contagious disease spreading rapidly worldwide.

A 63-year-old female resident of Seoul died from pulmonary edema, an abnormal buildup of fluid within the lungs, and multipleorgan failure, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said.

Authorities presume that the patient, who first showed flu-like symptoms in late June, may have contracted the virus through so-called community transmission, as she had not traveled overseas recently.

The patient, confirmed to have been infected with the flu on Aug. 8, did not have any prior health issues, according to officials.

On Saturday, the health authorities said that a man in his 50s died of pneumonia apparently caused by the H1N1 virus, marking the country's first flu-related death since the first case was reported here in early May.

Officials also reported 57 new infections earlier in the day, raising the infected total to 2,089 in the country. Around 400 people remain quarantined at home or state-designated hospitals.

The infection rate is feared to accelerate as students currently overseas for language training or short-term holidays will return home as the summer vacation draws to an end, raising the possibility of transmission among classmates and family members, experts say.

(Xinhua News Agency August 16, 2009)