A case of African swine fever has been confirmed at a pig farm in South Jeolla Province, marking the first case reported in the province.

South Jeolla Province said on Tuesday that the disease had been detected at a pig farm in Yeonggwang County after authorities conducted a detailed inspection following a report of piglet deaths the previous day.

In response, the province ordered the culling of about 21-thousand pigs at the farm and designated a ten-kilometer radius around the site as a quarantine zone, enforcing movement restrictions, intensive disinfection and additional testing.

African swine fever is a highly contagious viral disease with a fatality rate approaching 100 percent in infected pigs. 

This is the first confirmed outbreak of the fever in South Jeolla Province.