South Korea on Friday confirmed an additional bird flu outbreak at a duck farm in Jeolla Province, amid the country's worst outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said ducks at the farm in Yeongnam, South Jeolla Province, tested positive for the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus.

All ducks at the farm and other 70,000 birds at four farms within a 500-meter radius, totaling 84,000, have been culled as a precautionary measure.

The latest outbreak marks the third case of bird flu after two cases confirmed in Cheonan and Iksan on Dec. 31.

South Korea has been hit by avian influenza three times, with the last outbreak in April 2008. It had been a bird flu-free country since 2008, but lost this status when last month's two cases were confirmed.

(Xinhua News Agency January 7, 2011)