An Air Force civilian employee and a Marine have tested positive for the new coronavirus after visiting religious facilities, the defense ministry said Friday.

The Air Force employee, based in Seongnam, south of Seoul, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 on Thursday after visiting a church where a confirmed patient had visited, officials said.

About 50 people at the base will take coronavirus tests after coming into contact with him.

The Marine also visited a church in Seoul where a confirmed patient visited during his vacation, officials said.

The new cases brought the total caseload among the military population to 82.

Nationwide, the number of daily local virus cases jumped to an over 4-month high as sporadic clusters in the greater Seoul area piled up.

The country's new daily coronavirus cases, including 85 locally transmitted ones, reached 103 on Friday, raising the total caseload to 14,873. (Yonhap)