SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of — South Korea said Friday that it is scrambling to prevent the spread of the highly contagious African swine fever on its pig industry after North Korea confirmed an outbreak at a farm near its border with China. North Korea’s official Rodong Sinmun newspaper on Friday published three different articles detailing the spread of the African swine fever across Asia, but none of them mentioned that the disease has reached the North. Fences and traps will also be installed near the farms to prevent the pigs from contacting wild boars that roam in and out of North Korea. The outbreak comes as the North has significantly slowed its engagement with South Korea following the collapse of a February summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump. Lee said the South had told the North “several times” that it could help in case of African swine fever outbreak, but did not confirm how North Korean officials responded.

Source: National Post May 31, 2019 07:41 UTC