Three junior US Army soldiers stationed in South Korea were docked pay and moved down to the lowest enlisted rank after they were caught sneaking off to a bar and illegally returning to their base.

The Army said the trio violated public-health guidance by making their nonessential off-base trip and then returning "through a hole in the installation's fence."

The soldiers, who were also punished for not reporting the hole in the fence, were demoted, forfeited $866 per month for two months, were placed under restrictions for 45 days, and received 45 days of extra duty.

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Three junior US Army soldiers stationed in South Korea were docked pay and moved down to the lowest enlisted rank after they were caught sneaking off to a bar and illegally returning to their base.

The Army said the trio violated public-health guidance by making their nonessential off-base trip and then returning "through a hole in the installation's fence."

The soldiers weren't named but described in a statement as two privates second class (E-2) and a private first class (E-3) from the 94th Military Police Battalion, 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, 8th Army, in Camp Humphreys.

The soldiers, who were also punished for not reporting the hole in the fence, were all demoted to private (E-1), forfeited $866 per month for two months, were placed under restrictions for 45 days, and received 45 days of extra duty.

"Doing the wrong thing has serious consequences," the 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command said in a Facebook post on Wednesday. "Don't risk everyone's safety and our ability to complete our mission because you can't follow orders."

Characters from the 1999 fictional movie "Three Kings," in which three US service members also violate orders and leave their military base. All three characters in the movie were caught by authorities. Warner Bros.

The United States Forces Korea command has taken a hardline approach to staving off the novel coronavirus outbreak. Troops in South Korea imposed strict measures — including limiting travel — much earlier than other military forces in the US. Commanders in the region have also been active on social-media channels, delivering warnings about the coronavirus and conducting online town halls.

It's unclear how many troops have tested positive for the coronavirus in South Korea, as the Defense Department last month mandated that military bases stop announcing their coronavirus numbers. As of Wednesday, over 3,500 troops in the US military had tested positive, 1,073 had recovered, and two had died.

For the fourth day in a row, South Korea has reported fewer than 15 new cases, Yonhap News reported, adding that over half of new cases in the past two weeks were travelers who recently arrived in the country. About 10,700 people in the country had been infected and 237 had died.