South Korean quarantine officials catch wild birds in a lake in Seoul on May 7, 2008 after the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus hit a nearby aviary. (PHOTO / AFP)

PARIS — South Korea has reported eight cases of H5N6 bird flu on farms, prompting the culling of more than 500,000 poultry, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) reported on Tuesday.

The outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, were detected between Dec 5 and Dec 11, in villages in the western part of the country, the WOAH said in a report posted on its website citing information from South Korean authorities.

Earlier this month South Korea reported an outbreak of the H5N1 strain which has been spreading around the globe, including in Japan and Cambodia in Asia

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The virus killed 47 birds, while the rest of the flocks totalling 513,810 were culled, the Paris-based WOAH said.

Earlier this month South Korea reported an outbreak of the H5N1 strain which has been spreading around the globe, including in Japan and Cambodia in Asia, but it had not reported any outbreaks of H5N6.

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The H5N6 strain over the past four years has only been detected in Asia, the WOAH database showed, with the latest outbreak on a poultry farm in the Philippines in January.