Sixteen American service members have tested positive for the new coronavirus upon arrival in South Korea over the past few weeks, the US Forces Korea (USFK) said Monday.

Three service members and a family member arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on US government-chartered flights, while 11 service personnel and one dependent arrived here on commercial flights via Incheon International Airport, west of the capital, between Nov. 28 and Dec. 11, according to USFK.

Twelve of them tested positive on their first mandatory COVID-19 test prior to entering quarantine, and the remainder were confirmed to have contracted the virus on their second mandatory test, it added.

All USFK-affiliated individuals arriving in South Korea are required to undergo a virus test and quarantine for 14 days.

Medical personnel administer a second test prior to their release.

"All individuals have since been transferred to an isolation facility designated for confirmed COVID-19 cases at US Army Garrison Humphreys and Osan Air Base," USFK said, adding that none of them have interacted with anyone residing within USFK installations or the local community.

The latest cases brought the total number of USFK-related coronavirus infections to 434. (Yonhap)