The number of Koreans who are infected with HIV is on the rise, according to a study released by the nation's National Institute of Health on Thursday. Between January and September this year, 277 people have tested HIV-positive, increasing the total number of people with HIV to 1,888 as of September. The rate shows that an average of one person is infected each day. This is a 19.7 percent increase from the same period last year. Among those who have tested positive, 73 have contracted AIDS and 59 have died of the disease. The study also found that, of those who knew how they were infected, 97.2 percent, or 1,505, said they acquired the virus during sexual intercourse. Of those infected sexually, 360 (23.9 percent) acquired the virus by contact with foreigners, while 688 (almost 46 percent) acquired it from Koreans. Thirty percent (457 people) were infected by members of the same sex.

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