Experts quickly swarmed onto the scene after a river near the inter-Korean border turned blood-red. Authorities soon concluded the Imjin River’s colour came from the mass slaughter of pigs nearby. In a desperate attempt to halt the spread of African swine fever (ASF), South Korea has culled more than 47,000 pigs.
Videos posted by the Yeoncheon Imjin River Civic Network showed the river polluted with blood from pig carcasses.
The Imjin is the seventh-largest river in South Korea and flows through the demilitarised zone (DMZ) along the North Korean border.
The pig-culling had been carried out over the weekend, with their carcasses left inside multiple trucks at the burial site.
A delay in plastic containers used for burial disposal meant the burials could not be carried out immediately.
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According to experts, heavy rains caused blood to flow from the border burial site into a tributary of the river.
The disturbing revelation sparked health concerns for those that live along the water and beyond.
ASF is known to be highly contagious and incurable, with a near-zero survival rate for infected pigs.
However, scientists do not believe it is dangerous to humans.
The first case of ASF was recorded in North Korea in May.
In response, South Korea built more border fences and also authorised the military to shoot any wild boars approaching the border.
Despite the precautions, South Korea reported its first case on 17 September – with the total now at 13.
The outbreak has also spread to China, Vietnam and the Philippines, with some 1.2 million pigs culled in China.