In this file photo, taken on April 28, 2021, and provided by the Kookbang Ilbo newspaper, service members wait to receive coronavirus vaccines at a military hospital in Seongnam, south of Seoul. (Kookbang Ilbo newspaper)
About 80 percent of service members aged under 30 have received their first doses of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine since the vaccination campaign for younger soldiers began earlier this month, the defense ministry said Tuesday.
A total of 332,384 troops in their 20s, or 80 percent of the age group, had received their first doses as of Monday, according to the ministry.
Soldiers aged 30 and older were given AstraZeneca's vaccine, with 88 percent, or 116,900 members, agreeing to take their first shots.
On Tuesday, the ministry said an Army officer based in Icheon, 80 kilometers southeast of Seoul, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after receiving the first vaccine jab, raising the total number of infections reported among the military population to 1,009.
Around 240 people who had contact with the soldier have tested negative so far.
Nationwide, South Korea added 395 new infections Tuesday, bringing the total caseload to 151,901. (Yonhap)