Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, center, presides over a Cabinet meeting at the government complex in Sejong, 112 kilometers south of Seoul, Oct. 18. Yonhap

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Wednesday instructed officials to take preventive measures, including the culling of poultry, as the nation reported its first virulent avian influenza case in some six months.

The emergency instruction came as the case was reported a day earlier at the farm in the southeastern county of Yecheon, 165 kilometers southeast of Seoul, with the authorities confirming the highly pathogenic strain of H5N1.

Han has ordered the agriculture minister to carry out "the preventive culling within a 500-meter radius and swiftly implement containment measures," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

Han also instructed officials to thoroughly implement other preventive steps, including restricting movement and disinfecting farms and roads in Yecheon, according to the statement.

Upon the report, the authorities have cordoned off the farm and implemented containment measures, including the culling of some 9,800 ducks raised there.

Korea had last reported an avian influenza case in April. (Yonhap)