South Korea reports another suspected FMD case

Another suspected case of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) was reported at a farm south of Seoul on Saturday, authorities said, raising the nation's total number of suspected cases to 27.

Despite the government's intensive efforts to curb the spread of the highly contagious disease, five cattle at a farm in Buyeo, 195 kilometres south of Seoul, were reported to be showing symptoms such as blisters on the nose, mouth and teats, according to the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

But whether the affected animals are hogs or cattle has yet to be known.

South Korea has already confirmed a total of 11 cases of FMD, several in areas close to the west coast.

Nearly 50,000 livestock have been culled and buried in South Korea, and the government has raised the animal disease alert status to its highest level.