S Korea completes quarantine against African swine fever near DMZ

South Korea's agriculture ministry announced on Sunday that quarantine measures against African swine fever near the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) had been completed, after an outbreak of the fever was confirmed by Pyongyang on May 30.

The contagious animal disease comes at a time when North Korea is already grappling with an acute food shortage which is worsened by drought-like conditions and multiple sanctions against the country.

Disinfection at hog farms was undertaken by the South Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs near the DMZ from June 5 to Friday, according to Yonhap News Agency.

The DMZ divides the Korean Peninsula in half, into North Korea and South Korea.

Blood tests of pigs from around 600 farms were negative for the fever, the ministry said while noting tests on 35 hog farms will be carried out additionally.

While humans are not susceptible to the disease, it is highly deadly for pigs and wild boars. A case of the disease was confirmed to the World Organization for Animal Health by North Korea at a region bordering China last month.