Army to conduct massive field training amid coronavirus concerns

SEOUL, April 8 (Yonhap) -- The Army plans to hold a two-week field training involving some 4,500 service members this month, officials said Wednesday, amid lingering concerns over the new coronavirus.

The exercise will kick off at the Korea Combat Training Center in the eastern county of Inje on April 20, the military said.

The training comes as South Korea's daily new COVID-19 cases stayed at around 50 for the third straight day Wednesday. The country's social distancing campaign is set to expire on April 19. Health authorities are still on the alert over new cluster infections.

The Army said the risk of infection at the training center is low, as civilians cannot access the facility, adding that quarantine measures will be carried out prior to the training.

"Soldiers taking part in the training have been under a preventive quarantine measure since February, and those who have left their barracks two weeks prior to the training will be excluded from this exercise," an Army officer said.

The Army had canceled exercises scheduled at the Inje center in February and March due to the virus.

"We will gradually expand training while ensuring safety to maintain the combat readiness posture," the officer said.

The number of coronavirus cases in the military remained at 39 as of Wednesday. Among them, 35 have been fully recovered, according to the defense ministry.

South Korea has reported 10,384 cases of the new virus, including 200 deaths.

scaaet@yna.co.kr
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