Military Sends Home 2 Shincheonji Church Members Confirmed with COVID-19 at Nonsan Training Center (Comprehensive)

[Asia Economy Reporter Dongwoo Lee] On the 18th, the military authorities announced that two new recruits at the Nonsan Army Training Center who tested positive for COVID-19 were "sent home."

According to the Army on the same day, two recruits who were identified as Shincheonji Church members residing in the Daegu area during the enlistment process at the Army Training Center and were under preventive quarantine tested positive in the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test results released on the 17th.

The two were transferred to Daegu Dongsan Hospital, their local medical institution, on the morning of the day. The Army also stated that 38 contacts who had been in the same quarantine space as the confirmed cases underwent PCR tests in separate single rooms, all of which returned negative results.

The military authorities explained, "The two who tested positive this time enlisted together with a person residing in Changwon, Gyeongnam, who was previously confirmed positive," adding, "Considering the epidemiological connection, PCR tests were conducted while they were under preventive quarantine."

So far, there have been three confirmed cases at the Nonsan Army Training Center. Previously, a 22-year-old male residing in Changwon, Gyeongnam, tested positive on the 16th and was discharged. This man was also confirmed to be a Shincheonji Church member.

Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of National Defense, as of 10 a.m. on the same day, the total cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in the military was 39 (3 current cases, 36 recovered), with no additional confirmed cases.

By branch, there are 21 in the Army (19 recovered), 1 in the Navy, 2 in the Marine Corps (2 recovered), 14 in the Air Force (14 recovered), and 1 in the Ministry of National Defense direct units (1 recovered).

According to health authorities, there are 3 people in quarantine, and according to military standards, about 1,350 people are under preventive quarantine. The three confirmed cases at the Army Training Center were identified before formal enlistment and thus were not included in the "military confirmed cases" tally.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.