Joint Chiefs Civilian Employee Confirmed with COVID-19... Epidemiological Investigation Underway (Comprehensive)

Joint Chiefs of Staff Headquarters Building

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] For the first time, a confirmed case of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) has emerged at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, prompting the Ministry of National Defense to set up a temporary testing site within the base to conduct tests on individuals who have overlapping movement paths with the confirmed case.

According to the military on the 16th, one civilian employee belonging to the Joint Chiefs of Staff located within the Ministry of National Defense premises in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, tested positive for COVID-19. This civilian employee reportedly showed related symptoms on the 15th, the first day when social distancing measures were eased from level 2.5 to level 2, and was confirmed positive after undergoing diagnostic testing at a hospital in Seoul.

Accordingly, the Ministry of National Defense has ordered about 20 people classified as close contacts to self-quarantine for two weeks, and on the morning of the same day, set up a temporary testing site within the base to test approximately 100 to 200 individuals whose movement paths overlapped with the confirmed case.

A Ministry of National Defense official stated, "It has been confirmed that the confirmed case has not recently visited the Ministry of National Defense building," and added, "Whether a full investigation of personnel working at the Joint Chiefs of Staff building will be conducted depends on the results of the first round of testing."

This is the first confirmed case within the Ministry of National Defense premises since last November, when a cluster infection occurred at the directly controlled unit, the Armed Forces Welfare Service.

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