Bird flu level in South Korea has been raised following detection of the H5N1 avian influenza virus that were found at poultry farms in about four places and S. Korea is already battling a serious outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

For containing the foot and mouth disease, about 10 per cent of pigs and its cattle has been culled by Asia's fourth-largest economy, this has made prices of domestic beef and pork go up and food inflation has been exacerbated. Food supply will be boosted by the government in order to cope with rising prices.

The agriculture ministry said that South Korea raised its bird flu alert a notch from 'caution' to 'watch'.

As the disease spreads faster, the ministry will raise the alert.

The ministry informed that in poultry there have been 34 suspected cases of bird flu and there are 16 confirmed cases.

A ministry official stated that 470,000 poultry and about 0.36 of domestic stock has been culled due to outbreaks of bird flu, while continuing the quarantine of commercial duck and chicken breeding farms in affected areas.