A wild boar found dead in an area between the Demilitarized Zone(DMZ) and the Civilian Control Line has tested positive for the African swine fever(ASF) virus, raising the number of infected wild boars in South Korea to seven.

The National Institute of Environmental Research revealed on Wednesday the animal was discovered the previous day in Cheorwon County, Gangwon Province near the border with North Korea. 

This is the second time an infected feral boar was found in the county and the fifth within the civilian control zone.

On Tuesday, the Defense Ministry mobilized hundreds of soldiers and civilian hunters to border regions for an operation to hunt down wild boars with guns and traps amid suspicions they may be responsible for the ASF outbreak in South Korea.

Since mid-September, South Korea has confirmed 14 cases of the disease at local pig farms, all of which are located near the border.