Reports of bedbug appearances reach 30 in South Korea

The number of confirmed or suspected cases of bedbug appearances has risen to about 30 nationwide, the government said Tuesday, amid growing public jitters about the pests that pose various health threats, Yonhap reported.

The bedbug cases had been reported to 17 metropolitan city and provincial governments across the country until Monday, according to the government's joint countermeasures headquarters against bedbugs, which was launched by the interior ministry last Friday to stop the spread of the pests.

Recently, bedbugs have increasingly appeared in lodging facilities, bathhouses and other vulnerable places nationwide, causing various health damage to the public. The recent surge is alarming as only nine cases of bedbug appearances had been reported to the health authorities for 10 years since 2014.

In Seoul, as many as 17 cases had been reported to ward or health offices as of Sunday, while the municipal government's call center received reports of an additional five cases in the same period.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency had also received a total of 11 bedbug-related reports from the beginning of October to Monday.