South Korea on Wednesday confirmed a second case of African swine fever near its border with rth Korea, raising concerns that outbreak could spre and wreak havoc on country’s massive pig herds. Officials were planning to cull some 5,000 pigs raised at a farm in town of Yeoncheon after highly contagious disease was confirmed in tests of a de pig, a South Korean agriculture ministry official said. Officials culled nearly 4,000 pigs and stepped up quarantine efforts Tuesday after confirming country’s first case of disease at nearby city of Paju.

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South Korean PM urges people to quickly respond

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said wild animals, vehicles or even human travel may be causing virus to spre. Officials are looking into possibility that disease was introduced by wild boars following an earlier outbreak in rth Korea. “I urge you to quickly respond and do whatever you can,” Lee said. agriculture ministry said officials also were stepping up disinfection of farms and vehicles and restricting movements of farmers, animals, and visitors to contain disease. “We will obviously cull 4,700 pigs raised at Yeoncheon farm and could cull more pigs at farms in neighboring areas if needed,” said ministry official, who declined to be named, citing office rules.

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Gyeonggi province, which governs Yeoncheon and Paju, canceled a slew of events that h been planned in towns through October, including a pop concert, a marathon, and ceremonies marking first anniversary of a Pyongyang summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and rth Korean leer Kim Jong Un last September. A film festival that was to open on Friday at border vill of Imjingak was moved to Goyang city.

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Outbreak possibly from rth Korea

outbreak in South Korea comes after months of heightened monitoring efforts at border area farms after disease spre to rth Korea in May. rth Korea in recent months has virtually scrapped all diplomatic activity and cooperation with South Korea amid a standstill in nuclear negotiations with United States and has igred repeated South Korean calls for joint efforts to stem spre of disease. South Korean investigators are tracing source of outbreak, and officials say it isn’t immediately clear if disease would have crossed from rth.

Seoul’s Unification Ministry, which deals with inter-Korean affairs, said Wednesday that it tified rth of outbreak in South Korea through a liaison office at a rth Korean border town. South Korea in past months has placed fences and traps around border area farms to prevent pigs from being infected by wild boars that roam in and out of rth Korea. Government officials said it would be difficult for animals to cross over barbed wire fences in mine-scattered border zone, but y could swim across rivers. South Korea’s environment ministry said it plans to dispatch personnel to strengn monitoring on movement of wild boars in border areas and install more traps and nets. ministry said it asked local officials t to shoot animals because gunshot sounds could cause m to scurry and cover more ground. African swine fever is harmless to humans but very contagious and fatal for pigs. It has decimated herds in China and or Asian countries and re is kwn cure. re are about 6,300 farms in South Korea that raise more than 11 million pigs.

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