Six of the eight members of South Korean boy band Stray Kids have tested positive for COVID-19, forcing the group to halt promotional activities shortly after releasing a new extended play (EP).

Management company JYP Entertainment announced late Monday that band leader Bang Chan and members Lee Know and Hyunjin were diagnosed with the respiratory illness, according to a report from Korean entertainment news portal Soompi.

The trio are the latest Stray Kids members to have been confirmed with COVID-19. The first was rapper Changbin, who tested positive last Friday, just hours after the octet dropped its latest EP "Oddinary."

Over the weekend, Han and Seungmin also tested positive, leaving I.N and Felix as the only members who have not contracted the disease.

The COVID-positive members have been vaccinated against the disease and not shown any symptoms, JYP said.

The agency said it also cancelled Stray Kids' music show activities for the week.

The company added that the members "have been staying in separated living spaces" since Changbin tested positive last Friday.

Stray Kids was formed through a 2017 reality show of the same name.

The band debuted with nine members in March 2018 with the EP "I Am Not" and single "District 9." Vocalist Woojin left the group in October 2019.

• Concert recap: Stray Kids rock it out in Manila

South Korea has recently been grappling with a surge in COVID-19 cases, driven by the highly infectious omicron variant.