Four service members tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Wednesday, the latest in a series of infections at barracks amid the prolonged fourth wave of the pandemic across the nation.

An Army soldier in the central city of Daejeon, an airman stationed in the southeastern city of Daegu and a soldier of a unit under the direct wing of the defense ministry tested positive following their recent vacation, and one officer in Seoul was confirmed to have been infected after one of his family members tested positive, according to the ministry.

The latest cases brought the total caseload among the military population to 1,648.

Nationwide, South Korea added 2,050 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday. The daily figure bounced back to over 2,000 in a week, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). (Yonhap)