Eight service members and an Army civilian employee have tested positive for the new coronavirus, raising the total caseload reported among the military population to 1,732, the defense ministry said Saturday.

Seven of them -- one airman, two Marines, three soldiers and an Army civilian employee -- were confirmed to have contracted

COVID-19 during or after a vacation, while the others were found to have been infected after developing symptoms, according to the ministry.

The infections were reported across the country, from Seoul to the eastern border town of Goseong and the southeastern city of Daegu, in the wake of the mass migration during the Chuseok holiday that ran from Monday to Wednesday.

On Saturday, South Korea reported an all-time high number of daily coronavirus cases for the second consecutive day with 3,273 infections. The total caseload rose to 298,402. (Yonhap)