Officials cull chickens at an egg farm in Naju, 355 kilometers south of Seoul, in this file photo taken on March 11, 2021. (Yonhap)South Korea's agricultural ministry said Wednesday it is investigating a new suspected case of highly pathogenic bird flu, with the total confirmed caseload currently standing at 107.

The latest suspected case of malign H5N8 strain of bird flu came from a duck farm in Naju, 355 kilometers south of Seoul, the previous day, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs. The farm was raising 19,000 ducks.

The result is expected to be delivered within three days.

South Korea has reported 107 cases of bird flu traced to poultry farms since November last year.

The number of cases from wild birds came to 229 as of Wednesday.

Authorities have culled 29.8 million poultry as a preventive measure.

The country has been culling birds within a 1-kilometer radius of infected farms since mid-February, which was eased from the previous guideline of 3 kilometers.

The average consumer price of eggs shot up 43.8 percent on-year over the past week, while those of chicken meat climbed 7.6 percent. (Yonhap)