The South Korean government confirmed Saturday that an outbreak of bird flu in Iksan, 230 km south of Seoul, was caused by a highly virulent strain of H5N1 virus.

Tests conducted by the National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service showed that the outbreak has been caused by the H5N1 virus, said Lee Yang-ho, spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

The ministry said about 236,000 chickens and other animals within a 500-meter radius of the initially infected farm will be culled and buried, while a tight quarantine has been established around the affected area.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry announced Thursday that suspected bird flu cases were found at a poultry farm in Iksan city, Jeollabukdo, where 6,000 out of a total of 13,000 chickens had died suddenly since Sunday.

According to the ministry, all of the chickens and other animals on the farm have been culled and buried, while a tight quarantine has been established around the affected area.

All eggs produced in the poultry farm have been destroyed and the transportation of all chickens, birds and eggs within 10 km of the farm had been banned.

It was the first time for South Korea to report the outbreak of bird flu since December 2003. The South Korean government destroyed 5.3 million birds from December 2003 to March 2004 to curb the spread of the fatal epidemic disease.

Following the outbreak of bird flu in South Korea, Japan, which is a major market for South Korean chicken exports, announced on Friday to suspend poultry imports from South Korea and asks travelers from South Korea to disinfect the soles of their shoes on arriving in Japan as a preventive measure.