On Thursday, May 30, North Korea announced an outbreak of swine fever on a farm in its northern Jagang province, bordering China, to the World Organization for Animal Health.
This prompted South Korea to take action against the possible spread of animal diseases in areas bordering the North.
Despite the fact that this North Korean farm is located far from the border, the Ministry of Agriculture of South Korea on Friday, May 31, announced that it would make every effort to conduct quarantine measures, since this disease is "very likely" to hit the South.
According to Seoul’s Ministry of Agriculture, of the 99 pigs on the North Korean farm, 77 died of fever and the rest were slaughtered by the North Korean authorities.
South Korea remains wary of the possible spread of the disease from North Korea through wild pigs that may cross the border.
“We are already working closely with relevant organizations to cope with a possible outbreak of swine fever in North Korea and strengthen quarantine measures in the border areas,” the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Korea said.
According to the ministry, about 350 South Korean farms located near the border are closely monitored. After an outbreak in the north, the ministry plans to conduct pig blood tests on farms, the results of which should be obtained by June 7.