South Korea reports 1st African swine fever case in 2 months

Seoul, Jan 17 (IANS) South Korea on Saturday confirmed its first case of African swine fever (ASF) in about two months, prompting authorities to cull thousands of pigs and issue a standstill order to prevent the virus from spreading.

According to the provincial government, the outbreak was detected at a farm in Gangneung, about 170 kilometres east of Seoul in Gangwon Province, Yonhap news agency reported.

Authorities said 29 of 32 pigs that died at the facility on Friday tested positive for the virus, which is fatal to pigs but harmless to humans.

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok has ordered emergency containment measures, including restricting access to the site and culling operations, after receiving a report on the new case.

Kim also stressed the need for a thorough epidemiological investigation to determine the cause of the outbreak.

It is the first confirmed case in the country since November, when an outbreak was reported in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province.

To prevent the spread, officials culled 20,000 pigs at the affected farm and issued a 48-hour standstill order for pig farms in six adjacent cities and counties.

In November last year, the country confirmed its sixth ASF case of the year.

The case was reported at a pig farm in the city of Dangjin in South Chungcheong Province, which raises 463 pigs, Yonhap reported. It has the largest swine farming capacity in the country, making the situation far more serious and raising the risk of a nationwide spread.

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.

All of the previous five cases of 2025 were reported in the northern part of Gyeonggi Province.