Korea will begin monitoring all its ports of entry to intercept any possible inflow of avian influenza (AI), the government said Friday.
A special inspection will also take place at all air and sea ports on Sept. 17-25 to check the ports' monitoring and quarantine capabilities.
The move comes as new outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza have already been reported in many Asian countries, including China and Hong, as well as in Mexico.
"The government is stepping up its prevention measures due to an expected rise in the number of people going overseas during the Chuseok holiday along with an increase in the number of Chinese tourists coming to the country during China's national holidays from Sept. 30 to Oct. 7," the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said in a press release.
South Korea last reported an outbreak of highly pathogenic AI late last year that led to the culling of over 3 million birds throughout the nation. (Yonhap)