Three Vietnamese nationals who escaped from a facility where they were under mandatory self-quarantine since arriving in South Korea will be deported and banned from entering the country again, authorities said Tuesday.

The Vietnamese sailors, who arrived in Korea on short-term visas, checked into the temporary quarantine facility in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, July 20 for two weeks of self-isolation as required for entry into the country. They escaped from their sixth-floor rooms Monday by using a fire escape rope, according to the authorities. As of 6 p.m. Tuesday, the police were still tracing the trio’s whereabouts.

Sohn Young-rae, a senior health official, said the authorities plan to strengthen security at such facilities to better monitor those under self-quarantine.

“If we find (them), we will file a complaint against them and seek to deport them under the immigration law,” he said. “We will seek to impose a ban on their reentry (into Korea as well).”

The three had initially tested negative for the coronavirus and were a week away from release, if they tested negative at the end of the quarantine.

Sohn dismissed the possibility that they fled due to the cost of the quarantine. The mandatory two-week stay is about 2.1 million won per person and their employer paid the full price in advance, he said.

Since April 1, all foreign nationals without long-term residence visas and all Koreans with nowhere to stay during the two-week isolation period have been admitted to designated quarantine facilities -- usually hotels repurposed by the government. They are charged about 150,000 won per night, including meals.

On Tuesday, Korea reported 28 new COVID-19 cases, 23 imported from overseas and five locally transmitted, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The total caseload rose to 14,203.

Of the 23 imported cases, 13 were from Asia, including seven from Kyrgyzstan. Six were from the Americas, including four from the United States, and four were from Africa. Thirteen cases were identified during the quarantine screening process at the border, while 10 were detected while the individuals were under mandatory self-quarantine in Korea.

As for locally transmitted cases, three were registered in Seoul, one in Gyeonggi Province and one in Busan.

So far, 13,007 people, or 91.6 percent, have been released from quarantine upon making full recoveries. Some 896 people are receiving medical treatment under quarantine. Twelve people remain in serious or critical condition.

One more person died, bringing the death toll to 300. The overall fatality rate stands at 2.11 percent -- 2.49 percent for men and 1.81 percent for women. The rate is much higher for those in their 80s and over -- 24.79 percent -- and those in their 70s -- 9.56 percent.

The country has carried out 1,537,704 tests since Jan. 3, with 20,444 people awaiting results as of Tuesday.

By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)