Thirteen people affiliated with the US Forces Korea (USFK), including 11 service members, have tested positive for the new coronavirus upon their arrival here in the past two weeks, the US military said Monday.

One of the service members and a dependent arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on a US government-chartered flight, while the others, including a civilian worker, arrived here on commercial flights via Incheon International Airport, west of the capital, according to USFK.

Nine of them tested positive on their first mandatory COVID-19 test prior to entering quarantine, and the four others were confirmed to have contracted the virus on a subsequent test required to exit quarantine.

All USFK-affiliated individuals arriving in South Korea are required to undergo a virus test and quarantine for 14 days. Medical personnel administer a second test prior to their release.

"Despite the recent confirmed cases, USFK remains at a high level of readiness with less than 1 percent of its active duty service members currently confirmed positive with COVID-19," the US military said in a release.

The latest cases raised the total number of infections reported among the USFK population to 695, most of whom tested positive upon their arrival here from the United States. (Yonhap)