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Authorities to cull 3,900 pigs in response to African swine fever outbreak in Changnyeong County

Published: 04 Feb. 2026, 17:02

A barricade erected by quarantine authorities is seen at the entrance to a pig farm in Dangjin, South Chungcheong, on Nov. 25, 2025, amid the first outbreak of African swine fever in the province. [YONHAP]

Authorities will cull 3,900 pigs after African swine fever was confirmed at a farm in Changnyeong County, South Gyeongsang, the provincial government said Wednesday.

South Gyeongsang plans to cull 2,400 pigs raised at the infected farm, as well as 1,500 pigs from a nearby farm located 500 meters (1,460 feet) from the affected site.

The owner of the infected farm reported the case to quarantine authorities after pigs continued to die over the past two to three days.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters notified authorities early Wednesday that the case had been confirmed.

The disaster headquarters ordered a 24-hour suspension of pig transportation and a halt in the movement of pig manure in areas of South Gyeongsang, including Changnyeong County and nearby Changwon, Miryang, Hapcheon County, Uiryeong County and Haman County — as well as Cheongdo County and Goryeong County in North Gyeongsang and Daegu.

At the same time, epidemiological investigation teams were deployed to determine the source of the outbreak.

Quarantine authorities are seen controlling the area around a pig farm where African swine fever broke out, at a pig farm in Changnyeong County, South Gyeongsang, on Feb. 4. [YONHAP]

South Gyeongsang also dispatched quarantine teams to restrict access to the infected farm and set up control checkpoints on major roads.

This is the first time African swine fever has been confirmed in South Gyeongsang, with Changnyeong County marking the province’s first case.

African swine fever was first detected in Korea in 2019. Since the first case was reported in Paju, Gyeonggi, in September 2019, a total of 62 cases have occurred nationwide, including seven reported this year.

Last November, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters raised the African swine fever crisis alert to the highest level of “serious” nationwide.

African swine fever is a viral disease affecting pigs, with a fatality rate close to 100 percent once infected, and there is currently no vaccine or treatment available.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JUNG SI-NAE [[email protected]]