Korea confirms two additional FMD cases

Two more cases of foot-and-mouth disease have been confirmed in South Korea, rekindling concerns that the animal disease could spread across the nation, the government said Thursday.

Pigs at farms in Gongju and Cheonan in the central region of South Chungcheong Province tested positive for the highly contagious disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

The authorities plan to cull the affected animals.

Early last month, two outbreaks of FMD were confirmed in southeastern North Jeolla Province for the first time since April 2015.

The government lifted a movement ban on animals and vehicles within the region last week as the spread of the disease had subsided after the Lunar New Year's holiday.

FMD is a "List A" disease as designated by the Paris-based World Organization for Animal Health. Countries that report the disease are barred from exporting meat from all cloven-hoofed animals, such as cattle, pigs, sheep and goats. (Yonhap)