An Air Force officer has tested positive for the new coronavirus after taking part in a mission to evacuate Afghan people from the war-torn nation last month, officials said Wednesday.

The officer, based in the southeastern city of Busan, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after developing symptoms while in quarantine, according to the defense ministry.

South Korea carried out an emergency operation last week mobilizing military aircraft to evacuate those who worked at its embassy in Kabul and other facilities, after the Taliban seized power.

The officer had tested negative in an initial test conducted upon his return from the mission.

"All service members who took part in the operation are currently in isolation as a preventive measure," a ministry official said.

Separately, the ministry said a soldier in Seoul and a Marine in Gimpo, west of the capital, were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 during a vacation, while a Navy officer in the central city of Daejeon was found to have been infected in mid-August after an overseas study.

The latest cases raised the total number of infections reported among the military population to 1,621.

Nationwide, South Korea reported 2,025 more infections Wednesday, bringing the total caseload to 253,445. (Yonhap)