South Korea has confirmed foot and mouth disease cases at local farms for the first time in more than four years, the agriculture ministry said on Thursday.
The cases were found on two beef cattle farms located in the central city of Cheongju, some 112km south of Seoul, on Wednesday, which were raising some 360 cows combined, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
The country last reported the cases in January 2019.
All of the cattle at the farms would be culled to prevent the spread of the disease, which affected cloven-hoofed animals, including pigs and goats.
According to the ministry, the ministry also issued a 48-hour standstill order on all animal farms and related facilities across the nation and began intensive quarantine work in adjacent cities.
Foot and mouth disease is an acute infectious viral disease of livestock that causes fever after developing vesicles chiefly in the mouth and on the feet.
It is one of the most infectious diseases for livestock.
(Yonhap/NAN)
