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[robinhood]

South Korean government said Thursday that it has confirmed a virulent bird flu outbreak in southwestern city of Gimje.

According to the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the cause of outbreak taking place at an egg-laying farm in Gimje, 260 km south of Seoul, was confirmed as the H5N1 strain of the avian influenza.

The ministry said it will cull and bury 308,000 chickens within500 meters from the farm. All eggs from the seven farms in the neighborhood will also be buried to prevent any spread of the disease.

The ministry said that all movement of 3.57 million chickens and ducks being raised in 265 farms within a 10-km radius will be halted for the time being.

Quarantine authorities said that eggs from the farm will be recalled and buried as an extra precaution.

There have been no cases of people getting sick from eggs.

The ministry said the National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service will conduct a probe into why the outbreak occurred, while the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention will be placed on standby in case of human infection.

The owner of the farm reported the outbreak early this week after about 3,000 chickens at the farm start dying late last month.

The farm has 150,000 chickens that produce 100,000 eggs per day and the eggs are sold nationwide, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported.

The latest outbreak of virulent strain of the bird flu disease in South Korea was reported in March 2007.