South Korea struggles to eradicate bed bugs during peak tourist season

South Korean health officials are asking visitors from Britain and France, where bedbugs have been reported, to thoroughly disinfect their belongings upon arrival.

South Korea is struggling with a bedbug outbreak amid a post-pandemic tourism boom. Many people have avoided public places to avoid being followed home by bedbugs after a resurgence three weeks ago. Some people are checking their seats carefully before sitting. Others are standing on the subway.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement earlier this month that people who may have come into contact with bed bugs while traveling abroad should thoroughly disinfect their belongings. International travelers from places with bed bug outbreaks, such as France and the United Kingdom, are also being asked to do the same for fear that bed bugs could “hitchhike” into Korea.

International visitors wearing hanbok, traditional Korean clothing, take souvenir photos. Photo: Xinhua — International visitors wearing hanbok, traditional Korean clothing, take souvenir photos. Photo: *Xinhua*

Local media have been reporting on images of reddish-brown bugs the size of apple seeds crawling on clothes and hiding in cracks in walls and sofas. Locals say they are haunted by insects they have never encountered before.

A public bathhouse in Seoul was closed in October for disinfection after bedbugs and eggs were found under the carpet. Authorities are scrambling to control the pests, setting up a task force to gather information from across the country.

Park Yoo-mi, a senior health official in Seoul, said bed bugs feed on human and animal blood but do not usually transmit diseases. However, their bites can cause skin rashes, severe itching or allergic reactions, causing economic losses and psychological distress. "We will actively respond to outbreaks," Park said.

South Korea nearly eradicated bed bugs in the 1960s and 1970s thanks to widespread use of a powerful pesticide called DDT, now banned. But the bugs have returned in large numbers, and officials have warned that insecticide spraying is ineffective and are looking for alternatives.

A bedbug clings to fabric. Photo: Reuters — A bedbug clings to fabric. Photo: *Reuters*

Health officials said there have been at least 33 reports of bedbug infestations nationwide in the past month, a sharp increase from just nine in the past 10 years. Seoul alone has reported 17 cases.

The Seoul city government has opened a call center to receive reports of bedbug infestations and dispatched staff to control the outbreak. South Korea has also conducted extensive inspections at more than 3,000 establishments, including hotels and saunas, and stepped up disinfection of airport limousines and international tour buses.

The Seoul government plans to regularly place cloth seats and hot saunas in subway cars and replace cloth seats with other materials that are less likely to harbor bedbugs.

Paris is also facing a bedbug challenge ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics after videos of the insects crawling on metro seats, nesting in mattresses and appearing on trains and airports went viral.

Anh Minh (According to SCMP )

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