Two additional outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease have been confirmed in South Korea, the government said Tuesday, stirring up fears that the livestock disease is rapidly spreading in the country's central area.

Pigs at two swine farms in Nonsan 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 quarantine authorities have culled affected animals, and placed a travel ban on animals and vehicles, the ministry added.

With the latest outbreaks, a total of nine infections have been confirmed in Nonsan alone since March 7, when the first case was reported.  

At the same time, the animal disease has been spreading in South Chungcheong Province as two outbreaks of FMD were confirmed in the neighboring towns of Gongju and Cheonan last month.

The authorities will carry out close examinations of every pig farm within the province in March and April to root out the disease-causing virus and tighten disinfection procedures on farm owners, visitors and vehicles.

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)