Additional COVID-19 Cases Confirmed in Army Unit Related to Sarang Jeil Church

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter]Additional confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) related to Sarang Jeil Church have been reported at an army unit in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province.

According to the Ministry of National Defense on the 19th, two soldiers at the 3rd Transportation Training Regiment in Gapyeong tested positive the previous day and are receiving treatment. The COVID-19 infection began after a civilian, Mr. A, who had access to the unit, attended a Sarang Jeil Church service in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul on the 9th of this month and was confirmed positive. Mr. A operated a military supply store within the base.

The two additional confirmed cases were found to have had contact with Mr. A and another soldier who had already tested positive. Following Mr. A's confirmation, PCR tests were conducted on about 1,500 unit members, resulting in a total of five soldiers testing positive, while the rest tested negative.

With this, the number of confirmed cases related to Sarang Jeil Church within the military has increased to seven, including the five soldiers from the 3rd Transportation Training Regiment. Previously, a civilian employee of the Ministry of National Defense stationed in Gyeonggi Province and a Marine soldier from Baengnyeong Island were infected after visiting Sarang Jeil Church.

At the North Korea Intelligence Unit, where a civilian employee was confirmed positive the day before, PCR testing is ongoing focusing on close contacts, and no additional confirmed cases have been reported so far.

The cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in the military is 90 (78 recovered). According to health authorities, 737 individuals are in quarantine, and 3,131 are under preventive quarantine based on military standards.

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