South Korea's pork imports surged in April from a year earlier as a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak affected domestic supply, government data showed Thursday.
  

According to the data by the Korea Customs Service, imports reached 39,000 tons in April, up 24.1 percent from 32,000 tons a year earlier. The value of the imports reached $120 million, marking a 21.7 percent on-year increase.
  

The outbreak, which began in late December and continued into April, led to a decrease in domestic supply, the KCS said. FMD is a highly contagious animal disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals.
  

Growth in the number of South Koreans enjoying camping caused a spike in consumption, it added. Pork is the food of choice for many campers with demand usually peaking in spring.
  

The United States remained the largest exporter of pork to South Korea, accounting for 32.6 percent of the total, followed by 17.6 percent for Germany and 10.8 percent for Spain. Chile and Canada made the top five list by accounting for 8.2 percent and 7.2 percent of all imports, respectively.
  

The customs office said that while imports have increased overall, unit price for a kilogram of pork fell to the lowest number in 13 months in April, from a 10-year high reached in July 2014. (Yonhap)