By Kim Hyun-bin
Korea will boost quarantine efforts to prevent the spread of foreign red fire ants that have been discovered in major ports of the country.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced plans, Friday, to disinfect port areas in efforts to contain their spread.
The quarantine officials will increase inspections on containers that are from high-risk areas, and increase promotions so workers can promptly report any encounters with the ants.
The officials plan to thoroughly inspect all containers that carry 32 products likely to attract fire ants including coconuts and dried wood.
Countries that have reported recent outbreaks will also be urged to carry out inspections.
“We are urging 11 cities in China including Fujian that are categorized as red ant-infested areas to self quarantine the containers before import,” the agriculture ministry said. “If they fail to do so, we will double our quarantine efforts to thoroughly inspect the containers.”
One June 18, 700 fire ants were discovered in concrete cracks at a container terminal in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul.
Two days later around 3,000 ants, as well as 11 colonies, were found in a container at Busan's port, raising the alarm among quarantine and port authorities.
Government Policy Coordination Minister Hong Nam-ki convened an emergency meeting at the Seoul government complex Friday to discuss measures to prevent the spread.
“Even nearby harbors and international airports need to be monitored and take preventive actions,” Hong said. “Fire ants have strong adaptations to an environment so it is important to block their entrance from the borders. We need to follow the manual and avoid any loopholes during the preventive measures.”
Red ants are two to six millimeters in size and are found in 26 countries, including China, United States and Australia. Their bite injects venom which causes a burning sensations and itchy sores. It could be deadly for people who have allergic reactions to the venom.
This is the sixth case of red fire ants in Korea, quarantine officials found 25 fire ants in a storage container at Busan's Gamman Port, last September.
Over 80,000 cases of fire ant bites have been reported each year just within the United States and around 100 of them result in deaths.