Gangneung: 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. The outbreak was detected at a farm in Gangneung, about 170 kilometers east of Seoul in Gangwon Province.

According to Yonhap News Agency, authorities reported that 29 out of 32 pigs that died at the facility on Friday tested positive for the virus, which is fatal to pigs but harmless to humans. This marks the first confirmed case in the country since November, when an outbreak was reported in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province.

To contain the spread, officials culled 20,000 pigs at the affected farm and imposed a 48-hour standstill order for pig farms in six adjacent cities and counties. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok directed emergency containment measures, including restricting access to the site and overseeing culling operations, after receiving a report on the new case. Kim also emphasized the importance of conducting a thorough epidemiological investigation to determine the cause of the outbreak.