South Korea's attempts to control an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease before the World Cup suffered a setback with the confirmation today of cases at two more farms.
"We began slaughtering some 7,000 more pigs near the two new infected farms," an agriculture ministry spokesman said.
The ministry said the latest cases were all in a quarantine zone near Anseong, 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of Seoul, where foot-and-mouth was first reported on May 2nd.
The new outbreaks are on the edge of the 10-kilometre (six-mile) sealed-off zone, sparking fears the disease could spread to the cities of Suwon and Seoul, both hosts to World Cup matches. The outbreak of foot-and-mouth has created fears visiting fans will carry the disease back to their home countries.
Twelve confirmed foot-and-mouth cases have been reported in Anseong and nearby Jinchon and Yongin counties. South Korea has killed over 92,000 pigs to try and control the outbreak.
The government has also introduced strict controls on livestock trading and the movements of animals and humans around the areas concerned.
AFP