ONGOING SPREAD OF AFRICAN SWINE FEVER

[Anchor Lead]

The African swine fever virus was detected for the first time in the carcass of a wild boar discovered in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi-do Province. The government put in place a strong quarantine measure that calls for all pigs in Paju and Gimpo to be culled.

[Pkg]

A military base received a report on Wednesday that a wild boar carcass was found inside the demilitarized zone. It was discovered some 1.4 kilometers north of the southern limit line. The Ministry of Environment announced that the African swine fever virus was found in the carcass. This is the first confirmed case of ASF in wild boars in South Korea. Although it was found on the North Korean side of the fence, the virus could have traveled across the border through various means including mice or flies that came into contact with the infected boar. This could cause a bigger threat in the future.

[Soundbite] DR. JEONG HYUN-KYU(ASIA PIG VETERINARY SOCIETY) : "The virus could travel through wild creatures that came in contact with the boar carcass inside the DMZ. It's impossible to conduct assessment or quarantine measures on boars and other wild animals inside the DMZ."

Meanwhile, the number of ASF reports from farms is rising. Hog farms in the Gimpo and Paju regions have been confirmed to have the virus, increasing the number of ASF-confirmed farms in South Korea to 13. The Ministry of Food and Agriculture decided to implement a strong culling measure to stop the spread of the disease. All pigs within the three-kilometer radius of confirmed farms in Paju and Gimpo are to be culled. Pigs outside the 3-kilometer radius may be slaughtered for consumption if they have been sold. The ones that have not been purchased will be culled. In Yeoncheon region, the government plans to purchase pigs and carry out preventive culling for the pig farms located within a 10-kilometer radius of an infected farm. Meanwhile, the temporary transport ban imposed on the Geyonggi, Incheon, and Gangwon areas has been extended until 3:30 AM Sunday local time.