South Korea has confirmed its first case of cholera in 15 years, local health authorities said Tuesday.

A 59-year-old man from the southern city of Gwangju was confirmed to have been infected with the water-borne disease, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, adding the man doesn't have any records of overseas travel this year.

It marks the first time that a South Korean national has been infected with the disease on local soil since 2001, the KCDC said.

In 2001, an outbreak hit the Gyeongsang region in southern South Korea, infecting 162 people.

The diarrheal disease, which is curable with proper medication and treatment, affects 3 million to 5 million people annually and claims more than 100,000 lives throughout the world.

The KCDC said it is conducting an in-depth epidemiological investigation into the patient and looking into the possibility that he contracted cholera from eating food imported from overseas. (Yonhap)