The identity of the ‘bug’ found in a house in Gangnam has been revealed

Termites recently found in a house in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul were tentatively confirmed as foreign termites.

The Ministry of Environment announced on the 19th that as a result of checking using a precise microscope, the termites in Gangnam-gu houses were identified as termites belonging to the genus Cryptotermes of the Kalotermitidae family안전놀이터. Genetic analysis is also in progress, and it is expected that it will take about a week to complete identification (the task of correctly confirming the taxonomic location and species information of organisms). Earlier on the 17th, a netizen posted a picture on an online community saying that dozens of unknown insects appeared in the house. Some netizens speculated that it appears to be a termite belonging to the dry wood termite family, which is not found in Korea. This is the second time that the domestic habitat of drywood termites and termites has been confirmed. Previously, in 2021, a report was published in the Journal of the Korean Society of Applied Entomology on the discovery of a type of dry wood termite, ‘Tongjja termite’, in Yeoso Island, Wando County, Jeollanam-do. The species of termites discovered this time do not harm humans, but they eat trees and cause great damage worldwide. In particular, termites that live in Korea live in a humid environment, but these termites can survive in a dry environment without moisture and live without contacting the ground. In Australia and elsewhere, it is a high-risk termite known to collapse wooden buildings.

It is unclear how these termites were introduced into Korea. It is also not known exactly how he got into the house in Gangnam-gu right now.

The Ministry of Environment explained, “No traces of inflow from the outside have been found, so it is presumed to have lived and moved in the indoor wooden door frame (chassis).”

The Ministry of Environment plans to conduct an epidemiological investigation at a later date.

The Ministry of Environment requested that if foreign termites are discovered, immediately report them to the National Institute of Ecology Foreign Species Report Center (☎ 041-950-5407 kias.nie.re.kr).