Five American service members have tested positive for the new coronavirus upon arrival in South Korea from the United States, the US Forces Korea (USFK) said Monday.

Four service members arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on government chartered flights between Sept. 10 and 25, and the remainder arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of the capital, on a commercial flight on Sept. 11, according to the US military.

Four of them tested positive in their first mandatory COVID-19 test prior to entering 14-day mandatory quarantine here, while the other member tested positive on the second test required to exit the quarantine, it added.

The latest cases brought the total number of USFK-related infections to 198, most of whom tested positive upon their arrivals here.

USFK said it has not had an internal positive COVID-19 case among service personnel since mid-April.

"Thorough cleaning of all transportation assets and quarantine rooms has been completed," USFK said in a statement. "None of the new arrivals have interacted with anyone residing within USFK installations or the local community." (Yonhap)