Prime Minister Han Duck-soo ordered epidemic prevention and control measures on Thursday following reports of confirmed cases of African swine fever in Yeongdeok County, North Gyeongsang Province and Paju City, Gyeonggi Province.

Han issued urgent instructions to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Environment to expedite preventative measures in accordance with emergency action guidelines, including controlling access to farms, the culling of infected animals and epidemiological investigations. The order came during his visit to Davos, Switzerland, to attend the World Economic Forum.

In particular, he ordered thorough management of the temporary suspension of movement for pig farms, slaughterhouses and feed factories in seven cities and counties in Gyeonggi Province and more in Gangwon Province. The farms are under a 48-hour suspension of movement until 6:30 p.m. on the 20th.

"As this is the first outbreak of African Swine Fever in North Gyeongsang Province, (the government) will stay vigilant and promptly carry out initial quarantine measures to make every effort to prevent further spread," Han said.

ASF was first reported in Yeongdeok-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, on Tuesday, followed by an additional case in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Thursday.

Han ordered the Ministry of Environment to give its full effort to monitoring and supplementing fences around outbreak sites to stop farm-to-farm transmission, as well as search and capture activities for wild boar carcasses.

"There is a high risk of livestock diseases spreading due to frequent travel with the holidays coming up," he said. "We urge pig farmers to follow preventative measures for epidemics such as thorough disinfection inside and outside the farm, and relevant ministries and local governments to do their best to prevent the spread of the disease."