Korea issues alert following 6th case of swine fever

The Central Disaster Management Headquarters holds an emergency meeting to discuss its response to the occurrence of an African swine fever case at a pig farm in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province, Tuesday. Courtesy of the agriculture ministry

Korea's quarantine authorities issued a nationwide alert Tuesday, calling for enhanced quarantine measures against African swine fever (ASF) as the country has confirmed its sixth ASF case of the year.

The latest case was reported at a pig farm in the city of Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province, which raises 463 pigs, according to officials at the Central Disaster Management Headquarters (CDMH).

With the latest outbreak, the CDMH issued the highest-level red alert across the nation to prevent the further spread of the disease.

The government culled 1,423 pigs from the affected farm and other nearby farms operated by the same owner and issued a 48-hour standstill order for pig farms and related facilities nationwide, the officials said.

It is also carrying out disinfectant measures in Dangjin and neighboring regions, while conducting emergency inspections of pig farms around the affected farm.

"All of the previous five cases this year were reported in the northern part of Gyeonggi Province, but the latest case has emerged in South Chungcheong Province, which has the largest swine farming capacity in the country, making the situation far more serious and raising the risk of a nationwide spread," an agriculture ministry official said.

"We will mobilize all available resources to prevent any additional cases and to fully contain the spread of ASF," he added.