An American soldier recently reported to have contracted the new coronavirus is in fact free of the disease, the US Forces Korea (USFK) said Wednesday, citing an "administrative error" for its inaccurate announcement.

On Tuesday, the US military said the soldier at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, has tested positive for COVID-19 in the first case reported at the USFK headquarters since early last month.

"USFK's established quality control measures identified an administrative error that led to the soldier's test being labeled as a positive test, and a subsequent evaluation and test revealed the Soldier was negative for COVID-19," it said in a release.

All individuals identified in the latest contact trace have been cleared to return to their duties, according to the USFK.

As of Wednesday, 368 coronavirus infections were reported among the USFK-affiliated population, most of whom tested positive upon their arrival here from the United States. (Yonhap)