A service member undergoes a coronavirus test at a temporary COVID-19 test center at Seoul Station on March 1, 2021. (Yonhap)
Two Army soldiers and a Marine have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Thursday.
A soldier in Namyangju, northeast of Seoul, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after a virus case was reported at his unit. Of 64 troops tested following the initial case, 62 have tested negative while the other soldier is waiting for results, according to the ministry.
Another soldier based in Paju, just north of the capital, was found to have been infected while away from his base on a vacation, and a Marine in the southeastern port city of Pohang also tested positive while in quarantine after a vacation.
The latest cases raised the total number of infections reported among the military population to 687.
Nationwide, South Korea added 698 new cases Thursday, bringing the total caseload to 112,117. (Yonhap)