On October 20, the Central Disaster Management Headquarters announced that African Swine Fever has been confirmed in both Hwaseong and Pyeongtaek in South Korea, with outbreaks reported at pig farms in these regions. Specifically, a pig farm in Pyeongtaek, which houses 830 pigs, reported the outbreak, marking the 17th case of ASF this year following a confirmation at a farm in Hwaseong the previous day. The authorities have deployed a rapid response team to control access to the farms and are planning the culling of infected animals while conducting decontamination efforts in the affected areas.

In response to the outbreaks, the Central Disaster Management Headquarters has implemented a 24-hour temporary movement restriction for pig farms in Hwaseong and five neighboring cities, although they decided against extending these restrictions further. This comes on the heels of an announcement of a Foot-and-Mouth Disease occurrence in Goyang, where an outbreak was confirmed at a beef cattle farm housing 133 head of cattle. This is the second such case in South Korea, following a prior confirmation in Incheon.

As a preventative measure, the risk alert for Foot-and-Mouth Disease has been elevated from 'serious' to include more areas, namely Goyang, Paju, and Yangju, in addition to existing restrictions in Incheon and Gimpo, thereby expanding concerns regarding animal health management across the region. The implications of these outbreaks pose significant challenges to the livestock industry and regional animal safety protocols, necessitating immediate and thorough response measures by authorities.