Eight people, including Air Force officers and public servants, based at an Air Force unit in the southern city of Sacheon have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Sunday.

Following three cases confirmed Saturday, five more at the same unit tested positive earlier in the day, according to the defense ministry and the Air Force. One of the soldiers who tested positive Saturday was found to have visited a local restaurant where infections broke out.

The Air Force, which held an emergency response meeting in the morning, said it has banned all entry to and from the Sacheon base except for essential forces. Virus tests of some 1,600 people are under way.

Apart from the Sacheon cases, sporadic cases were reported at the Army and Navy.

The new virus cases brought the total number of infections among the military population to 763 as of 2 p.m. Of the total, 79 are under treatment.

Nationwide, South Korea reported 644 more COVID-19 cases, including 603 local infections, raising the total caseload to 118,887, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. (Yonhap)