(Hongcheon=Yonhap News) Reporter Im Bo-yeon = Amid growing concerns about the spread of livestock infectious diseases nationwide, Hongcheon County, the homeland of Hongcheon Hanwoo, is focusing its administrative power to block the inflow of livestock infectious diseases. Hongcheon County has proven its highest level of disease prevention capabilities in the province, having been selected as the top (excellent) in the 2025 Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Livestock Disease Prevention City/County Evaluation and receiving a provincial governor's institutional commendation. Based on this strength, the county is pushing forward high-intensity disease prevention measures with the goal of achieving 'zero occurrence' of disaster-type livestock infectious diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), African swine fever (ASF), lumpy skin disease (LSD), and highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI). Earlier, in 2025, the county completed mass vaccination of 127,423 heads of superior livestock, including cattle and pigs, against foot-and-mouth disease and lumpy skin disease. In particular, periodic blood tests showed that the antibody positivity rate for foot-and-mouth disease exceeded the target by more than 95.3%, forming a solid immune system. The county is taking preemptive disease prevention measures with thorough on-site control and expertise. The "hub disinfection facility" that all livestock vehicles visiting Hongcheon County must pass through is operating 24 hours a day. Moreover, the county has secured the largest number of 13 public veterinarians in the province, including experts in pig farming and poultry farming, enabling rapid and flexible professional responses in the event of an outbreak. Customized disinfection is also being strengthened to eliminate blind spots in disease prevention. Five joint prevention teams are deployed to conduct more than 1,500 concentrated disinfections annually in small-scale subsistence farms and vulnerable areas such as migratory bird arrival sites. In addition, the Livestock Disease Prevention Control Room is operated at all times, with a 24-hour monitoring system in place. Kim Myeong-gi, the mayor of Hongcheon County, said on the 10th, "Given the recent outbreaks of livestock infectious diseases in other regions, we cannot be careless for a moment. In line with the status of the best disease prevention city/county in Gangwon Province, we will carry out preemptive and thorough preventive measures to definitely protect the precious livestock ecosystem, which is the asset of our people."