Cancer remained the top cause of death in South Korea, with the number of deaths hitting a record high last year, a government report showed.

In 2020, 304,948 deaths were reported in South Korea, up 3.3 percent from a year earlier. It marked the highest annual number since Statistics Korea began compiling such data in 1983.

The statistics agency said 593.9 deaths were reported per 100,000 South Koreans last year.

It also said 160.1 per 100,000 people died of cancer last year.

Cancer has been the No. 1 cause of death in the country since record keeping began.

Heart disease is the second-largest cause of death for South Koreans, with 63 deaths per 100,000 people, followed by pneumonia with 43.3 deaths. (Yonhap)