An American service member at a US military base in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, has tested positive for the new coronavirus, US Forces Korea (USFK) said Tuesday.

The soldier at US Army Garrison Humphreys was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 on Sunday following USFK's surveillance testing program, according to the US military.

The soldier has been on a shelter-in-place status since Saturday and is currently at an isolation facility for confirmed patients.

"KDCA and USFK health professionals are actively conducting contact tracing to determine whether anyone else may have been exposed to this individual, and to identify and ensure all known on-post and off-post facilities visited by the individual are thoroughly cleaned," the US military said. KDCA stands for the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

The latest case raised the total number of infections reported among the USFK-affiliated population to 793, most of whom tested positive upon their arrival here from their home country. (Yonhap)