SEOUL - South Korea reports a fresh outbreak of bird flu near its capital despite the government's efforts to fend off the spread of the disease, the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said Wednesday.  

The ministry said a bird flu infection case was confirmed among 600 chickens recently found dead at an egg-laying farm in Yeoncheon, located in the northeast of Gyeonggi province. The farm raised some 18,000 chickens.  

The ministry has decided to cull all remaining chickens at the farm in an effort to prevent further spread of the disease. In December last year, South Korea confirmed its first outbreak of bird flu in more than two years. The country has culled more than 5 million birds in its fight against the disease.