US civilian employee at Yongsan base tests positive for virus

A US Department of Defense employee working in Seoul has tested positive for the new coronavirus, the US Forces Korea (USFK) said Wednesday.

The employee who works at US Army Garrison Yongsan in central Seoul was confirmed to have contracted the virus Tuesday, according to the US military.

He last visited the base last Wednesday and is currently at a facility designated for COVID-19 patients at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul.

The employee has been staying at his off-installation residence in Seongnam, just south of the capital, since Friday after developing flu-like symptoms, it said.

He visited the K-16 Air Base in Seongnam on Monday to seek treatment and buy medication before returning home.

"KDCA and USFK health professionals are actively conducting contact tracing to determine whether anyone else may have been exposed to this individual, and to identify and ensure all known on-post and off-post facilities visited are thoroughly cleaned," it said in a release. KDCA stands for the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

The latest case raised the total number of virus cases among USFK-related people to 510. (Yonhap)