Total of 5 Military Confirmed Cases Due to 'Itaewon Club' Incident

On the 10th, when Seoul City issued a 'gathering ban order' for all entertainment facilities in Seoul following the COVID-19 cluster infection outbreak originating from Itaewon clubs, a gathering ban notice was posted at an Itaewon club in Seoul known to have been visited by confirmed cases. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu]Three additional officers who came into contact with Sergeant A, a member of a Ministry of National Defense direct unit who was confirmed positive for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) after visiting an Itaewon club, have also tested positive. Accordingly, the total number of confirmed cases within the military related to Sergeant A has increased to five.

On the 11th, the Ministry of National Defense announced, "As of 10 a.m. today, there are three additional confirmed COVID-19 cases within the military," adding, "The cumulative number of confirmed cases is 46 (7 under management, 39 recovered)."

The three additional confirmed officers belong to the Cyber Command (Cyber Sa), the same unit as Sergeant A, and it has been identified that they had meals together with Sergeant A. On the 9th and 10th, respectively, one soldier and one officer who had contact with Sergeant A were also confirmed positive for COVID-19.

Previously, Sergeant A violated the Ministry of National Defense's directive restricting movement after work and visited an Itaewon club in Yongsan-gu, which was visited by the 'Yongin Patient No. 66,' in the early morning of the 2nd. Although he did not have direct contact with the confirmed patient, their movement paths overlapped.

The military conducted polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests on all members of the Cyber Command unit.

On the previous day, Captain B of an Army direct unit in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, was also confirmed to be infected with COVID-19. This officer is also known to have visited the Itaewon club on the day the 'Yongin Patient No. 66' was there.

It has been confirmed that around 50 military personnel visited entertainment establishments in the Itaewon area around the 2nd, when the COVID-19 patient (Yongin Patient No. 66) visited the Itaewon club. Accordingly, concerns about the spread of COVID-19 within the military have grown again after the lifting of restrictions on outings and leaves.

According to health authorities, there are 136 people in quarantine within the military, and according to the military's own standards, there are 1,268 people in preventive quarantine.

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