Two Army officers and an airman tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Wednesday, raising concerns over the fast spread of the virus at barracks.

The airman in the central city of Seosan was confirmed to have been infected after coming into contact with colleagues who earlier tested positive, according to the ministry. The total number of patients at this Air Force unit grew to 11.

An Army officer stationed in the border town of Paju tested positive after showing symptoms while being on vacation, and another Army officer in the central country of Eumseong was also confirmed to have COVID-19, with the exact route of his infection yet to be known.

The latest cases brought the total number of confirmed cases among the military population to 204.

The number has been on the rise since last week following an infection cluster at the military's Welfare Agency. The authorities on Tuesday toughened the social distancing rules for units in the greater Seoul area and the eastern province of Gangwon for two weeks.

Currently, 386 service members are in isolation in accordance with the health authorities' guidelines, and the military has quarantined an additional 2,916 people under stricter antivirus schemes of its own as a preventive step.

Nationwide, the country added 313 more COVID-19 cases, including 245 local infections, raising the total caseload to 29,311, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Wednesday's figure marked the highest since Aug. 29. (Yonhap)