{"id":31006,"date":"2025-07-03T04:00:07","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T04:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=31006"},"modified":"2025-07-03T04:24:02","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T04:24:02","slug":"lovebugs-swarm-south-koreas-capital-drawing-residents-ire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=31006","title":{"rendered":"Lovebugs Swarm South Korea\u2019s Capital, Drawing Residents\u2019 Ire"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"article-summary\" class=\"css-79rysd e1wiw3jv0\">Municipal workers in the South Korean capital region are responding to a summer infestation by spraying water, but residents wish they would break out the poison.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"sizeMedium layoutVertical verticalVideo css-1d5j3k5\" aria-label=\"media\" role=\"group\" data-testid=\"VideoBlock\">\n<div class=\"css-1xb94ky\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-n27z15\" style=\"padding-bottom:150%\">\n<div class=\"css-mm3pwi\">\n<div style=\"height:0\">\n<div class=\"css-vxcmzt\">\n<div class=\"css-79elbk\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1cueeje\" style=\"padding-bottom:150%\">\n<div class=\"css-1ihorw\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-ew1078\">\n<div class=\"css-ptry2i\">\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"css-ktho12 e3rygrp0\"><span class=\"css-jevhma e13ogyst0\" data-testid=\"video-summary\">Swarms of the harmless insects have descended on Seoul and nearby cities, leaving many residents frustrated with the infestation.<\/span><span class=\"css-cch8ym\"><span class=\"css-14fe1uy e1z0qqy90\"><span>Yonhap, via Reuters<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<section class=\"meteredContent css-1r7ky0e\">\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\" data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">They\u2019re called lovebugs but nobody seems to love them. In fact, a lot of people in South Korea want them dead.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The thumbnail-size insects began swarming parts of Seoul and nearby cities in mating pairs last month. The infestation is expected to end by this weekend, and lovebugs pose no health risks to humans, so officials have opted for a gentle approach.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Municipal workers are mostly spraying water at them and officials have advised residents to do the same. \u201cLovebugs are not pests!\u201d the Seoul government says in a promotional video. \u201cStop using pesticides and protect nature!\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But residents getting caught in the swarms, or scraping layers of lovebug carcasses from their storefronts, can\u2019t understand why Seoul\u2019s most annoying summer insect is getting off so lightly. They want officials to put away the garden hoses and break out the poison.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"Dropzone-1\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\" data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThere\u2019s nothing beneficial about them,\u201d Ahn Yeon-sik said this week as he hosed down lovebugs from the front of his bar in Incheon, a city neighboring Seoul where officials have also urged the environmentally friendly approach.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Nearby, a man trying to sit on a bench swatted the bugs with a piece of cardboard. A pedestrian ducked swiftly to dodge a pair bearing down on her.<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-kbghgg\">\n<div class=\"css-121kum4\">\n<div class=\"css-171quhb\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-asuuk5\">\n<div class=\"css-7axq9l\" data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript\">\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\" data-tpl=\"t\">We are having trouble retrieving the article content.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\" data-tpl=\"t\">Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1dv1kvn\" id=\"optimistic-truncator-a11y\">\n<hr \/>\n<p>Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F07%2F03%2Fworld%2Fasia%2Fsouth-korea-seoul-lovebugs.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">log into<\/a>\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F07%2F03%2Fworld%2Fasia%2Fsouth-korea-seoul-lovebugs.html\">subscribe<\/a>\u00a0for all of The Times.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1g71tqy\">\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\" data-tpl=\"t\">Thank you for your patience while we verify access.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\" data-tpl=\"t\">Already a subscriber?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"log-in-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F07%2F03%2Fworld%2Fasia%2Fsouth-korea-seoul-lovebugs.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">Log in<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\" data-tpl=\"t\">Want all of The Times?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"subscribe-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F07%2F03%2Fworld%2Fasia%2Fsouth-korea-seoul-lovebugs.html\">Subscribe<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Municipal workers in the South Korean capital region are responding to a summer infestation by spraying water, but residents wish they would break out the poison.Swarms of the harmless insects have descended on Seoul and nearby cities, leaving many residents frustrated with the infestation.Yonhap, via ReutersThey\u2019re called lovebugs but nobody seems to love them. In fact, a lot of people in South Korea want them dead.The thumbnail-size insects began swarming parts of Seoul and nearby cities in mating pairs last month. The infestation is expected to end by this weekend, and lovebugs pose no health risks to humans, so officials have opted for a gentle approach.Municipal workers are mostly spraying water at them and officials have advised residents to do the same. \u201cLovebugs are not pests!\u201d the Seoul government says in a promotional video. \u201cStop using pesticides and protect nature!\u201dBut residents getting caught in the swarms, or scraping layers of lovebug carcasses from their storefronts, can\u2019t understand why Seoul\u2019s most annoying summer insect is getting off so lightly. They want officials to put away the garden hoses and break out the poison.\u201cThere\u2019s nothing beneficial about them,\u201d Ahn Yeon-sik said this week as he hosed down lovebugs from the front of his bar in Incheon, a city neighboring Seoul where officials have also urged the environmentally friendly approach.Nearby, a man trying to sit on a bench swatted the bugs with a piece of cardboard. A pedestrian ducked swiftly to dodge a pair bearing down on her.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0log into\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0subscribe\u00a0for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber?\u00a0Log in.Want all of The Times?\u00a0Subscribe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31008,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31006","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31006","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=31006"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31006\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31009,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31006\/revisions\/31009"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/31008"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=31006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=31006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=31006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}