SEOUL: For the first time in a year, South Korea found new cases of African swine fever on a farm this week, forcing authorities to cull at least 1,500 pigs, the Yonhap news agency said on Friday.

Three dead pigs tested positive for the disease, which does not affect humans but can be deadly to pigs, at a farm in the province of Gangwon late on Thursday.

Authorities culled pigs within a 10-kilometre (6 mile) radius of the farm, Yonhap said, citing the agriculture ministry.

About 400,000 pigs were culled after an outbreak began late last year, hitting at least 14 farms.

Until this week, Yonhap said, no new cases had been found on farms since October 2019, but 750 cases were discovered in wild boars that roam the border with North Korea.

In September, South Korea banned pork imports from Germany after a case of African swine fever was confirmed in a wild boar in its east.