A South Korean working at an American military base here has tested positive for the new coronavirus, US Forces Korea (USFK) said.

The contractor at US Army Garrison Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, around 70 kilometers south of Seoul, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 on Friday after close contact with an individual who tested positive earlier, according to the US military.

The confirmed patient last visited the base on Thursday and is now in isolation at a facility designated for coronavirus 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," USFK said in a release. 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 885, most of whom tested positive upon their arrival here from the United States. (Yonhap)