Gangwon pulls out all the stops to make sure bedbugs don't bite at Youth Olympics

Sixteen teams of inspectors will be deployed across Gangwon this week to check for bedbugs in accommodation and facilities for the upcoming Gangwon Youth Olympics, Gangwon State said in a statement Tuesday.

The Gangwon branch of the Korean Pest Control Association will lead the inspections in collaboration with state officials and the four host cities: Gangneung, Pyeongchang, Hoengseong and Jeongseon.

Inspectors will focus on the two athletes’ village dormitories, accommodation for operational staff and the two infectious disease contingency isolation facilities. Of a total 2,500 rooms, 625 will be inspected as a sample.

Bedbugs reappeared in Korea in mid-October after practically disappearing from the country in the mid-1970s.

Over the last few months, fear over the bedbug menace has grown rapidly with the government opening a nationwide bulletin board that monitors the bedbug situation in real-time.

Local governments disinfected public transportation by hot-steaming fabric seats on subways and inspecting bedbug-prone areas, such as gosiwon, or cheap studio apartments for students.

Suspected reports of bedbugs are continuing, with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency confirming a total of 311 cases by local authorities as of Dec. 24, 2023, according to government data.

“As this is the first international event to be held in the new year of 2024, we will put forth every effort in cooperation with Gangwon State, local governments and pest control agencies to prevent bedbug infestations and ensure a safe and healthy Olympics," Gangwon Governor Kim Jin-tae said in a statement Tuesday.

BY JIM BULLEY AND CHO JUNG-WOO [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]