South Korea has raised a nationwide alert over the spread of African Swine Fever(ASF) after authorities confirmed the first case of the virus in about two months on Tuesday.

South Chungcheong Province said on Tuesday that the latest ASF case had been confirmed at a farm in Dangjin that houses about three thousand pigs.

Quarantine authorities raised the nationwide ASF alert to its highest level, "severe," following the outbreak.

South Chungcheong is South Korea's largest pig-farming region, home to two-point-three million pigs, or 20 percent of the national herd.

The latest ASF case is the sixth reported this year and comes two months after the previous outbreak in Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province, in September.

This marks the first outbreak of African swine fever in South Chungcheong.

The government had issued a nationwide 48-hour standstill order for pig farms, related facilities and vehicles as of 9 a.m.