▲ Defense Minister Suh Wook receives a vaccine shot at the Armed Forces Capital Hospital in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, on April 16, 2021, in this photo provided by the defense ministry. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ People stand in line to receive coronavirus tests at a makeshift clinic in front of Seoul Station on April 7, 2021, in this file photo. South Korea reported the most new coronavirus cases since mid-February the same day as sporadic cluster infections continued to pile up across the country, raising concerns that the country may again grapple with another wave of the pandemic. (Yonhap)

defense chief-vaccination

Defense chief, JCS chairman receive AstraZeneca vaccine shots

SEOUL, April 16 (Yonhap) -- Defense Minister Suh Wook and Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Gen. Won In-choul received their first doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine Friday, the defense ministry said.

Suh and Won were given the vaccine shots at the Armed Forces Capital Hospital in Seongnam, south of Seoul, in consideration of their planned overseas trips, according to the ministry.

Won plans to visit Hawaii later this month for trilateral talks with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts -- Gen. Mark Milley and Gen. Koji Yamazaki -- on the occasion of the upcoming change-of-command ceremony of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

Suh is also scheduled to visit Singapore in early June to take part in the annual security forum of the Shangri-La Dialogue set to take place on June 4-5.

Following the inoculation, Suh inspected facilities for COVID-19 patients at the hospital and asked the medical staff there to continue efforts for the treatment, vaccination programs and disinfection work.

In March, the defense ministry began administering COVID-19 vaccines, and military doctors and other health care workers in the military were the first recipient group.

The inoculation campaign for service members is to start in June, with those serving in inter-Korean border areas and at command and control centers to be high on the list, according to the ministry.

Meanwhile, the ministry reported two more COVID-19 cases at the barracks Friday.

One Army soldier stationed in the city of Pocheon, north of Seoul, tested positive following his recent vacation, and the other one is a Marine in the southeastern port city of Pohang who also was confirmed to have been infected after his vacation.

The latest cases raised the total number of infections reported among the military population to 689.

Nationwide, South Korea added 673 more COVID-19 cases, including 652 local infections, raising the total caseload to 112,789, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

(END)

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]