African Swine Fever Found at Pig Farm Near N.Korean Border

A fresh case of African swine fever has been detected at a pig farm north of Seoul.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said Tuesday that tests on dead pigs found on the farm in Paju, Gyeonggi Province near the demilitarized zone confirmed that they were infected with the disease.

Health authorities culled 3,950 pigs both on the farm and in surrounding areas and banned pig transports to and from the affected region for a week.

Another suspected case of the disease was reported at another farm in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province and also confirmed on Wednesday.

The disease is not harmful to humans, but it can be fatal and highly contagious among pigs with no vaccine or cure available.

It is unclear how the disease spread to Gyeonggi Province. The virus is usually spread through leftover food or by people, but the farm in Paju did not give leftover food to the animals, while none of the workers there had traveled overseas. Authorities suspect it was carried in by wild boars that came from North Korea.

The government has canceled a scheduled ceremony at Dorasan Station in Paju on Thursday marking the first anniversary of an inter-Korean declaration and will only hold a simple commemorative event in Seoul instead.