Six more personnel working at a defense ministry agency handling welfare for service members and an airman have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the ministry said Wednesday.

The Welfare Agency officials, including both active-duty soldiers and civilian employees, were confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 after one of its workers tested positive for the virus earlier this week, according to the ministry.

The ministry has temporarily shut down the agency in Yongsan to conduct disinfection work.

In Goyang, just northwest of Seoul, an airman tested positive while hospitalized. Officials said the possibility of the virus spreading at his unit in Gangneung, 240 kilometers east of Seoul, is low.

Authorities are carrying out contact tracing to find out the exact route of the infections, officials said.

The latest cases raised the number of COVID-19 cases related to the military population to 174.

Nationwide, South Korea reported 146 new virus cases Wednesday, raising the total caseload to 27,799. (Yonhap)