200221 Corona Korea
A man wearing a face mask rides a bicycle to pass the Chinatown's main entrance gate in Incheon, South Korea. Image Credit: AP

SEOUL: A US soldier stationed in South Korea has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, commanders said Wednesday, the first US serviceman to do so.

The soldier is stationed at Camp Carroll, 30 kilometres north of Daegu, the city that is the epicentre of the outbreak in the South, US Forces Korea said in a statement, adding that he had been put in self-quarantine at his off-base residence.