The government says that a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza has been detected in wild bird droppings in Gangwon Province. 
 
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said Tuesday that a preliminary test confirmed a H5 strain in wild bird droppings collected last Thursday at a stream in Yangyang in Gangwon Province.
 
Further tests are under way to confirm whether the virus is the highly pathogenic strain of H5N6.
 
Yangyang is about 40 to 100 kilometers away from Pyeongchang and Jeongseon, the venues for the 2018 Winter Olympics.
 
The latest discovery came after the AI virus was detected in wild bird droppings in Suncheon Bay and a poultry farm in Gochang, Jeolla Province tested positive for H5N6.