Over 10% of COVID-19 Cases in the Military Are from the Army 1st Corps

by Yang Nakgyu

Published 12 Apr.2022 15:25(KST)

Lieutenant General Lee Doo-hee, commander of the Army 1st Corps, is issuing operational guidelines during combat command training. (Photo by Kookbang Ilbo)

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] COVID-19 cases among soldiers of the Republic of Korea Army 1st Corps continue to rise. As the highest number of confirmed cases occurred in a single unit, the cumulative number of confirmed cases is expected to exceed 10,000.

According to the Ministry of National Defense on the 12th, 212 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the Army 1st Corps alone, bringing the cumulative total to 9,073. Considering that 1,856 new COVID-19 cases were added across the military on the same day, more than 10% of the cases occurred in the Army 1st Corps. By branch, about 20% of confirmed cases in the Army belong to the 1st Corps.

According to the military, the newly confirmed cases on that day were 1,171 in the Army, 191 in the Air Force, 176 in the Navy, 161 in the Marine Corps, 139 in the Ministry of National Defense direct units, 14 in the Ministry of National Defense, 3 in the Combined Forces Command, and 1 in the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The cumulative number of confirmed cases in the military is 107,914, of which 10,938 are currently under management.

The Army 1st Corps conducted a 4-night, 5-day Battle Command Training Program (BCTP) last month. At that time, the corps stated that despite the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases, they made every effort to ensure safe training by early identification of infected individuals and measures to prevent the spread of infection within the unit.

Meanwhile, the United States Forces Korea Command announced on the same day that 524 new confirmed cases were added from the 5th to the 11th. Of these, 502 were related to US military bases in Korea, and the remaining 22 were imported cases from overseas.