Two military personnel, who had been reported to have fully recovered from the new coronavirus, have tested positive again, the defense ministry said Sunday.

An Army officer based in Yongin, some 50 kilometers south of Seoul, and an Air Force contractor in the southeastern city of Daegu have tested positive while in a preventive quarantine after leaving the hospital, according to the ministry.

Both were reported to have fully recovered from the virus on March 20. They have been in quarantine again at a hospital since Friday, it said.

The military has so far reported 39 infections in barracks, including 30 people who have fully recovered from the virus.

As a preventive measure, around 1,920 service members are being quarantined at their bases. Among them, about 180 have either shown symptoms or had direct contact with infected patients. The remainder recently visited the southeastern city of Daegu, the surrounding North Gyeongsang Province or virus-hit foreign nations.

All members of the Hanbit Unit who returned home Saturday after a peacekeeping mission to South Sudan have tested negative for the virus.

They will stay in self-quarantine for two weeks after a disbanding ceremony later in the day, the ministry said. (Yonhap)