US Army Soldier here. I wanted to chime in because I've wondered about this too. I was stationed in SK in 2011, and learned something interesting afterwards. According to USAMEDCOM, there is a risk of Malaria floating across the DMZ.
I went to donate blood at a completely unrelated DoD installation ~1.5 years after living in Yongsan, Seoul. I mentioned that I was stationed in Seoul, and they asked how far north I had traveled. I figured I need not mention my trip to the DMZ, as I stayed in the UNSCMAC-flagged Ford Excursion the whole time, so I said Uijeongbu (northern suburb of Seoul). This prompted an O-5 to come over with a map and I pointed out exactly where in Uijeongbu I had been, because the Army has determined exact an exact lat/long line that malaria-infused mosquitos couldn't survive past. I asked, and this invisible line varies along the DMZ and is based on SK devlopment and assessed NK vegetation. It turns out Shinsegae (the main shopping district there) was to far north to donate blood, so I was given a free mug as an atta-boy & shown the door.
I've always wondered about that specificity because both Koreas are pretty far north & I associate malaria with under-developed near-equatorial countries, mostly in Africa. However, my source is playing FarCry 2 & having a blast while feeling safe in South Korea ¯_(ツ)_/¯
IOWAdubbaJERB63 karma
US Army Soldier here. I wanted to chime in because I've wondered about this too. I was stationed in SK in 2011, and learned something interesting afterwards. According to USAMEDCOM, there is a risk of Malaria floating across the DMZ.
I went to donate blood at a completely unrelated DoD installation ~1.5 years after living in Yongsan, Seoul. I mentioned that I was stationed in Seoul, and they asked how far north I had traveled. I figured I need not mention my trip to the DMZ, as I stayed in the UNSCMAC-flagged Ford Excursion the whole time, so I said Uijeongbu (northern suburb of Seoul). This prompted an O-5 to come over with a map and I pointed out exactly where in Uijeongbu I had been, because the Army has determined exact an exact lat/long line that malaria-infused mosquitos couldn't survive past. I asked, and this invisible line varies along the DMZ and is based on SK devlopment and assessed NK vegetation. It turns out Shinsegae (the main shopping district there) was to far north to donate blood, so I was given a free mug as an atta-boy & shown the door.
I've always wondered about that specificity because both Koreas are pretty far north & I associate malaria with under-developed near-equatorial countries, mostly in Africa. However, my source is playing FarCry 2 & having a blast while feeling safe in South Korea ¯_(ツ)_/¯
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