Why is South Korea tracking mosquitoes at the border?

South Korea has installed 76 tracking devices along its heavily guarded border. These devices are not to monitor missiles or military activities, but to catch malaria mosquitoes coming across the border. It may sound strange, but this is the reality.

There is a serious reason behind this. South Korea has not yet become malaria-free, and this disease remains a major health challenge for the people here. According to a report by the AFP agency, the root of this problem is its neighbor and enemy country, North Korea, where malaria is still a common disease and it has not been completely eradicated. So why is malaria such a big problem for South Korea?

Climate change is increasing the danger

South Korea also issued a nationwide malaria warning this year and scientists say that climate change, especially heavy rainfall, poses a risk of increasing mosquito-borne diseases. According to a report by DW Hindi, scientists say that if North and South Korea do not work together to tackle this problem, the situation could worsen.

South Korea once claimed it had eradicated malaria. But in 1993, a soldier stationed at the demilitarised zone was found infected and the disease has persisted ever since. Cases rose by nearly 80 per cent in 2023, rising to 747 from 420 in 2022.

Mosquitoes can travel a distance of 12 kilometres

The real issue between the two countries is the Demilitarized Zone or DMZ. It is a four kilometer wide uninhabited strip of land that runs along the 250 kilometer long common border. This demilitarized zone area is surrounded by lush green forests and is not visited by humans as it was created in 1953 after the ceasefire following the Korean War.

Experts say the landmine-strewn border area provides the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes, including malaria-carrying mosquitoes that can travel up to 12 kilometres. Official figures show that over the past decade, nearly 90 per cent of South Korea's malaria patients were infected in areas near the DMZ.