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(LEAD) N. Korea bans S. Korea from bringing poultry, eggs to Kaesong
SEOUL, April 22 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Tuesday asked South Korea not to bring poultry products to the inter-Korean industrial complex in Kaesong, a North Korean border town, in an attempt to prevent the introduction of bird flu into the communist state, the Unification Ministry said.
The ban from the North Korean quarantine office in the Kaesong complex includes birds, poultry and eggs, and will go into effect on Saturday, ministry spokesman Kim Ho-nyoun said.
There have not been any cases of bird flu reported in North Korea.
Nearly 4 million birds have been destroyed in South Korea since the first outbreak of avian influenza was reported in Gimje, North Jeolla Province, earlier this month, causing over 30 billion won (US$30 million) in damages, according to South Korean quarantine officials.
Currently, 69 South Korean labor-intensive manufacturers are operating in Kaesong, where they employ about 24,000 North Korean workers.
South Korea sends some 8.5 tons of chicken and 127,000 eggs every month to eateries in the complex, the ministry said.
sshim@yna.co.kr
(END)
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