Health official carry a sack containing ducks that were killed after bird flu virus was found in Asan, S. Korea, 22 Dec 2006

Authorities in South Korea say a person there has contracted bird flu but has no symptoms of the disease. And in Japan, officials are investigating a possible outbreak at a chicken farm.

South Korean health officials said Thursday the person was infected during an outbreak of the potentially deadly H5N1 virus that hit poultry farms late last year.

In Japan, government officials at the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry told the Kyodo news agency that they are looking into what might be an outbreak of bird flu at a farm in Miyazaki Prefecture.

The farm feeds about 10,000 chickens.

It was not immediately clear how many birds may already have been infected or killed by the suspected virus.

The H5N1 strain of bird flu has killed more than 150 people worldwide over the past three years - none in Japan or South Korea.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.