Military nurse officers celebrate their commission ceremony at Korea Armed Forces Nursing Academy in Daejeon, March 3, 2020. (Ministry of National Defense) |
Commissioned as lieutenants a week earlier than scheduled, the 75 officers will work at the military’s hospital in Daegu, one of several national centers treating COVID-19.
Freshly-commissioned military nurse officers attend a lecture on the coronavirus before their dispatch to Daegu at Korea Armed Forces Nursing Academy in Daejeon, March 2, 2020. (Yonhap) |
The ceremony, which was held without outside guests, including family members, was livestreamed in real time on YouTube and Facebook. Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo was at the event.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Korea reported about 5,000 infections with 29 deaths. Thirty-one members of the Korean military tested positive for COVID-19, and 8,270 service members were under quarantine.
By Choi Si-young (siyoungchoi@heraldcorp.com)