Sign up to Simon Calder\u2019s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discountsGet Simon Calder\u2019s Travel email<\/p>\n
South Korea has introduced a bedbug-detection dog at its main international airport to prevent the insects from entering the country after the Paris Olympics.<\/p>\n
A two-year-old beagle named Ceco is the only dog in South Korea trained to sniff out bedbugs by detecting their pheromones.<\/p>\n
At Incheon international airport, Ceco can reportedly search a hotel room for bedbugs in under two minutes, Kim Min-su from pest control company Cesco said.<\/p>\n
The move comes after last year\u2019s panic in Paris over bedbugs, which were found in public places and hotel rooms. The insects are known to hide away in suitcases. <\/p>\n
Authorities in Paris warned that \u201cno one is safe\u201d from the critters and videos on social media appeared to show them crawling over seats on the Paris Metro.<\/p>\n
To avoid a similar problem, South Korea is taking precautionary measures by working with pest control, transportation, security, and health agencies to monitor and disinfect flights from Paris more frequently.<\/p>\n
The South Korean government said it is taking a \u201cpreemptive response to intercept the entry of the bugs through the Incheon international airport, which is the main gateway to the country\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the global community is gathering in Paris, France, on the occasion of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, there\u2019s a chance bedbugs will enter the country following the event,\u201d the government said.<\/p>\n
Ceco, South Korea\u2019s first bedbug sniffing dog, checks luggage at Incheon airport on 8 August 2024 (Reuters)Ceco will reportedly be deployed to sniff out bedbugs until 8 September as athletes, fans and officials return from the Olympics.<\/p>\n
In 2023, South Korea experienced a wave of national concern following reports of suspected bedbug infestation in micro-apartments, motel rooms, and traditional spas known as \u201cjjimjilbang\u201d, leading to a disinfection campaign.<\/p>\n
Seoul even allocated a budget of 500 million won (\u00a3310,000) to tackle the infestation, the Yonhap news agency reported at the time. <\/p>\n
Additional reporting by agencies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sign up to Simon Calder\u2019s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discountsGet Simon Calder\u2019s Travel email South Korea has introduced a bedbug-detection dog at its main international airport to prevent the insects from entering the country after the Paris Olympics. A two-year-old beagle named Ceco is the only dog in South Korea trained […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3519,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[173],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n