The Voluntary Agency Network of Korea (VANK), a cyber diplomacy organization led by director Park Gi-tae, announced on March 12, 2026, that it will launch a campaign targeting government ministries to improve the term “African Swine Fever (ASF)” in an effort to address stereotypes and prejudice about Africa.
VANK has been running a campaign to change the name of the disease since May 2025, based on concerns that the term “African Swine Fever” could stigmatize a specific continent by linking it to a disease.
Recently, the organization reviewed how the term African Swine Fever is used by institutions under the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA), the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment (MCEE), and organizations affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that are responsible for animal and plant disease control, quarantine, and prevention.
According to the review, the term African Swine Fever was used on the websites and in press releases of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) and the Rural Development Administration (RDA), as well as the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA), the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment (MCEE), and the National Institute of Wildlife Disease Control and Prevention.
On the MAFRA website, the term appears in images and videos in the news section of a special page on livestock diseases, and in information on overseas animal disease outbreaks under the national disaster disease monitoring section of its affiliated Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA).
In the case of the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, the term African Swine Fever was included in disease explanations and in press and clarification materials issued by its affiliated National Institute of Wildlife Disease Control and Prevention.
In particular, VANK pointed out that it is problematic that the Rural Development Administration, which is carrying out the “K-Rice Belt Project,” a Korean-style agricultural official development assistance (ODA) initiative for Africa, uses the term African Swine Fever in its press releases.
VANK stressed that “for scientific innovation based on fair ethics, improving social and geographical awareness must come first.”
While calling on the government to review and improve the use of the term African Swine Fever, VANK proposed a practical change by removing “Africa” from the disease name.
Although it may be difficult to immediately replace all existing terminology, the group believes that avoiding direct references to Africa alone can help prevent distorted views and prejudice.
It suggested alternative names such as “ASF-type swine fever,” neutral disease names like “swine hemorrhagic fever” or “acute febrile swine disease,” and the expanded use of a neutral abbreviation such as “ASF (African Swine Fever).”
The World Health Organization (WHO) also recommended in its 2015 “Best Practices for the Naming of New Human Infectious Diseases” that disease names should not include expressions that refer to specific identities such as people, regions, animals, foods, cultures, races, or occupations. The reason was that incorrect naming could lead to unnecessary fear and hatred, economic damage, and social stigma.
In fact, COVID-19, which was initially called “Wuhan pneumonia,” was renamed “COVID-19” in early 2020, and “monkeypox” was changed to “mpox” in December 2022.
Director Park Gi-tae said, “Major government ministries in Korea need to recognize the stigma surrounding African Swine Fever and pay attention to it,” adding, “Removing the stigma can become the first step toward solidarity for disease prevention, and changing the name can help put a sustainable future into practice.”
More detailed information about VANK’s policy proposal can be found on the petition page of its national policy proposal platform “Woollim” (https://www.woollimkorea.net/beginning-of-woollim/view.jsp?sno=3807).