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Lee inspects quarantine activities against animal disease

President Lee Myung-bak on Sunday instructed civil servants to step up efforts to stem the nationwide spread of livestock foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) ahead of the three-day Lunar New Year holidays to begin on Feb. 2.

President Lee Myung-bak visiting Hoengseong in Gangwon Province to inspect the quaratine efforts against highly contagious livestock epidemic. (Yonhap News)
President Lee Myung-bak visiting Hoengseong in Gangwon Province to inspect the quaratine efforts against highly contagious livestock epidemic. (Yonhap News)

Lee gave the instructions while visiting Hoengseong in Gangwon Province, east of Seoul, on Sunday morning to inspect the mountainous region's quarantine efforts against the highly contagious livestock epidemic, which has been reported in 119 areas nationwide since the first case was reported in late November.   

FMD, which affects all cloven-hoofed animals, like cattle and pigs, has so far forced the government to cull and bury 1.67 million heads of cattle, pigs, goats and deer on 3,912 farms with damage estimated to run to about 1.5 trillion won (US$1.34 billion).

Lee visited a roadside quarantine guard post in Hoengseong, about 137 kilometers east of Seoul, and gave words of encouragement to civil servants stationed there, according to presidential aides.

Hoengseong is the chief production district for top-grade meat of Korea's homegrown cows, known as hanwoo.

The president, accompanied by his agriculture and home affairs ministers, went on to visit Hoengseong's county office to be briefed on the local government's quarantine efforts and ordered that quarantine efforts be intensified as the number of travelers, including homecomers, will drastically increase during the Lunar New Year holidays. (Yonhap News)

<한글 기사>

李대통령, 혹한 속 구제역 현장 방문

이명박 대통령은 10년 만의 한파가 기승을 부린 16일 강원 횡성의 구제역 방제 현장을 찾았다.
이 대통령은 이날 횡성군청에서 강원도를 비롯한 전국의 구제역 진행 및 방역 상황을 보고받은 뒤, 민족의 대이동이 예상되는 설 연휴 이전 확산을 최대한 막을 수 있도록 행정력을 총동원할 것을 지시한 것으로 전해졌다.

앞서 이 대통령은 횡성의 구제역 초소에 직접 들러 한 달 넘게 방역 활동에  구슬땀을 흘리는 공무원과 군인, 방역 관계자들을 격려했다.

가축 매몰지와 같은 구제역 발생 현장을 방문할 경우 오히려 전염병을 퍼뜨릴 수 있다는 우려에 따라 방역 초소를 방문한 것으로 알려졌다.

현장 방문에는 맹형규 행정안전부 장관, 유정복 농림수산식품부 장관, 정진석 청와대 정무수석, 홍상표 홍보수석, 황영철 한나라당 의원 등이 수행했다. (연합뉴스)

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