The government has issued its first crisis alert against the monkeypox virus amid growing concerns over the disease becoming a new global epidemic. 

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) on Tuesday said the matter is of “interest,” the lowest in the four-tier infectious disease crisis alert system. 

The KDCA also decided to designate monkeypox as the second most serious communicable disease legally subject to compulsory reporting and quarantine. 

While preparations for the designation are being made, monkeypox will be called a new infectious syndrome and will be dealt with accordingly through proactive reporting, epidemiological surveys and quarantine and treatment of suspected cases. 

While assessing the seriousness of the disease to be at a low level, authorities are taking proactive steps in consideration of the significant influx of overseas travelers entering the nation amid continued recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 400 monkeypox cases have been reported in 22 countries, all overseas, this month alone. 

Should any monkeypox cases be confirmed domestically, the KDCA plans to upgrade its crisis alert level by one notch to “attention.”